The Dinner: Oren Moverman is unafraid to tackle a complex issue in this drama, but one of the effects is that the film presents us with a collection of very unpleasant characters in a morally repugnant situation. They may all be well-defended by the cast (Laura Linney, Rebecca Hall and Steve Coogan are all fine; Richard Gere merely OK), but it is hard to feel sympathy for any of them and care where all of it is going; furthermore, neither of them feels properly rounded. Alex Hall’s editing is the strong suit, mixing a handful of story periods and making the narrative richer than it would otherwise be.