Class of '81

 Two from the year I graduated high school: the first I've never seen, the second a rewatch to see if it still held up (it does).

MY DINNER WITH ANDRE (B) - This must have seemed ground-breaking at the time -- an overt thumbing of the nose in the era of "Jaws" and "Star Wars" -- to make a movie about two theater veterans having a discussion over a meal for two hours. I'm sure it was a refreshing intellectual exercise taking place while I was mainlining "Stripes" directly into my veins. 

Forgive me for letting this one settle for four decades before testing my maturity, patience and stamina for dry fare. And the first half certainly can be a challenge. It is dominated by Andre Gregory, the director, spinning tales, a few of which are just not that interesting. Gregory had left the theater for a new-age adventure, doing a little soul-searching.

It isn't until the second half that Wallace Shawn moves beyond just reacting "Gee!" or "That's interesting!" during Gregory's stories. The discussion turns more philosophical, and the men offer sharp observations about modern society at the dawn of the Reagan era. You might not be surprised to learn that -- like observers for decades before then and since -- they often lament the accelerating speed of the culture and the dangers of losing our humanity.

The men caution about the rise of technology -- robots are a big theme -- and the loss of human connection. Sound familiar? They celebrate the simple things in life -- a cup of coffee while reading a newspaper (on paper, of course). They make references to mindfulness, citing a "need to cut out the noise." Back then, careerism was a big culprit. It's not clear which more peaceful era they would go back to; like Godard, they have a decidedly post-WWII traumatized mindset, and Nazism still infiltrates their thinking

Director Louis Malle films this with no frills. Besides bookended scenes of Shawn sharing his thoughts as he arrives at the restaurant and then again as he cabs home, this is literally a movie about two men talking while eating dinner. There are a few interactions with waiters. But other than that, this is old-fashioned analog storytelling. Be patient during the first half -- turn your other screens off -- and follow along as two old friends try to solve the world's problems. As I look around, I see that Shawn and Gregory did not succeed in their mission, but neither have my friends and I. That doesn't mean these meals have been a waste of our precious time.

FOUR FRIENDS (B+) - Written by Steve Tesich (following his breakthrough "Breaking Away"), this earnest drama follows the lives of four friends as they pine for a girl while navigating the turbulent cultural changes of the 1960s. It struck a powerful chord with my young self. Does it still?

Craig Wasson (always, to me, a poor man's Bill Maher) stars as Danilo, the wide-eyed son of gruff immigrants who craves both stability and a livelier world. He and two childhood pals -- David (Michael Huddleston),  and Tom (Jim Metzler) -- all have crushes on the free-spirited OG Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Georgia (Jodie Thelan), who flatters herself by thinking she's the reincarnation of dancer Isadora Duncan. When Danilo gets to college, his roommate Louie (a young Reed Birney) will join the Georgia fan club (its members are fond of singing along with Ray Charles to her theme song and they are rewarded by being called "Kiddo" by her).

Wasson is the perfect butt-hurt thespian to imbue Danilo with a solemn and prudish devotion to both woman and country. His education and musical talent will at first rescue him from the fate of his father (Miklos Simon), who toils at the East Chicago iron foundry and takes out his immigrant frustrations on his son, including the occasional back-hand across Danilo's jaw. Thelan hams it up as a young woman eager to shed the pre-Beatles era of repression for expressions of free love later in the Sixties. 

Their lives get complicated. The two other friends fade more into the background -- one goes off to Vietnam, the other takes over his father's mortuary business. The hippie uprising challenges Danilo's dewy-eyed love of the America that took him in as a boy, and Tesich's screenplay offers a sweep of history through one man's personal journey.

Tesich balances maudlin nostalgia with a few sharp insights into the culture, while peppering the script with wholesome humor. The film has the whiff of the soap operas of the early '80s -- there is a tragic arc of Danilo seeking to marry into a rich family (catch Lois Smith as his impending mother-in-law) -- and the gravitas of a page-flipping historical novel. Like with "My Dinner With Andre," this movie digs for universal truths in a way that can still resonate more than 40 years later.