The idea is not new. The idea is dangereous. I think Mel Gibson made a film similar... While I was watching this, I was thinking how stupid it should have been with Julia Roberts or Harrison Ford in it. But because it was made with a low budget, because the actors are not stars (both guys are very good), because it's away from Hollywood, it goes on very well, and had some sort of sincere credibility. The finale is a very warm touching love scene. Independant low budget films are the only ones representative of the US cinema. This is a good example of just simple quality film without millions or stars, or Oscars, or anything silly of< that sort.
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MarioB21 April 2001
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rod5264 April 2003I just recently saw this film and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was not what I had expected. So many of the "freeze 'em" films take a comic or campy approach. But this film tries to deal with the actual problems that could arise if a person were able to disappear and then reappear some 30 years later. A nice treatment of the question.
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mrkoala-115 November 2005This movie was made a year before Mel Gibson's "Forever Young". The story here is quite similar, but with the lower budget and it's own pace, "Late For Dinner" works better for me. I love Mel Gibson, but here the absence of a big box office name here puts the focus where it ought to be, on the story itself.
The first time I saw it, it struck me as a largely a no-name cast, but looking at it today I see it a bit differently......Marcia Gay Harden, Peter Gallagher, Kyle Secor and Janeane Garofalo are all there.
Like most films of this sort, it requires 'suspension of disbelief', but once you let go, it is a charming and very enjoyable film. Watch it with someone you love. -
shoosh11424 June 2001I saw this movie when it debuted at the Boston Movie Festival and enjoyed it. It has become one of my guilty pleasure movies and I think that it is a hidden treasure. It was a sweet and charming film. I liked the relationship between the two main characters Willie Husband played by Brian Wimmer and Frank Lovegren played by Peter Berg.
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earled16 August 2010Brian Wimmer and Peter Berg star as best friends Willie and Frank. In 1962 Willie is unemployed with a wife and daughter and is about to lose his home and Frank is his mentally challenged brother-in-law with a bad kidney. While running from a crime they didn't commit, they meet Dr. Chilblains. The Dr., eager to try out his cryonics theory, promises Frank he'll wake up and be able to get a new kidney after a restful sleep while Willie is unconscious and unaware of what he has been committed to. The story evolves as they wake up in 1991 and find they've slept for 29 years and seek to get back to the loved ones they left behind.
I think this movie is lovely. It's a reminder of simple times and the power of love and family. I saw it back in 1991 at the theater when it came out and have been thinking of it now and again for years - more so recently - so I finally broke down and bought the DVD. It is reminiscent of Forever Young, but Forever Young came out a year after this one and is very big-budget, Hollywood. I like this film much more. The characters are believable and really pull you into the story. It's definitely a sleeper and very good for weekend afternoon viewing. It is now my guilty pleasure as well. -
angela-14726 April 2005Not the best movie in the world, but if you're up late at night and it's on the TV, it's worth watching.
I can imagine it being done far more successfully with a bigger budget, better performances and a better screenplay.
Performances (mainly) are fairly poor. Why does the realisation of the date mean they want to have their lives back? They haven't LOST their lives, are still the same age, look the same, etc.
A couple of bits are baffling. mostly the "frozen-bits". And why make Frank ill AND (apparently) mentally defective? However, not really as bad as all that - suspension of disbelieve strongly advised. -
Pro Jury3 May 2012*** This contains spoilers. ***
Late for Dinner (1991)
Deep-frozen in 1962 and with the aging process suspended for both, two men wake up in 1991 to a grown daughter and an older wife.
Brian Wimmer, Peter Berg, Marcia Gay Harden, Colleen Flynn, Kyle Secor
It is easy to understand why Brian Wimmer and Colleen Flynn produced so much chemistry together in the first season of the New Flipper. So far I have seen them together in three different productions.
In real life you may never see your father express a spec of emotion... until one day their sibling or parent dies, or they learn they are dying of cancer, or something else rare and profound. Even the most emotionless adults has a point when they have an emotional breakdown and are crying like a baby.
The weakness with LATE FOR DINNER is the same for most all TV shows and movies where a loved one comes back from the dead... a loved one coming back from the dead would be hitting emotional raw nerve. There would be an emotional break down -- hysterics -- from each loved one.
But in these movies and TV shows there is smooth coping -- and fairly calm understanding that a dead loved one has returned. The lack of emotion is not realistic.
LATE FOR DINNER is not an earth-shaking deep drama. It is not a comedy. However, it is a story with charming likable actors. -
Faena18 April 2015... almost as long as the main characters were frozen. When this movie was released in 1991, I was fifteen. It caught my attention, but not my friends', and consequently, other movies were chosen for matinees. Late for Dinner slipped by, but never fell off my radar. I rarely rented VHS movies. Since the advent of DVD, I've become a voracious collector. I've had the DVD in my sights since 2011, but kept waiting for the price to drop to finally check out this film. When the Blu-ray was announced this year, I said screw it, it won't get any better than this, and bought it instantly. I finally watched Late for Dinner tonight after keeping it in the back of my mind for a quarter century.
My story doesn't have a happy ending.
I can understand why it didn't make a splash, and perhaps why it's W.D. Richter's second and (to date) final film.
It just doesn't work. At all.
The direction is amateurish, and it has some of the clumsiest acting I've seen in a major studio release. I attribute this criticism to the two male leads. Berg's performance is unconvincing, although I blame the script and Richter's choices first over the actor. Brian Wimmer, however, is woefully miscast. A different actor might have raised this material. The final scenes between Willie and Joy are the best example: The dude just murders it. It is utterly incompatible with his style. I actually think this scene could have saved the movie for me, if delivered with nuance and gravitas, but there is none. Clearly the man is a paid actor because he's talented, but sometimes casting the right person can make or break a production.
Had I seen Late for Dinner in 1991, would I have had a more favorable reaction? To be fair, I think so. The SNL sketch deep freeze plot might have seemed more cutting edge to me as a tenth grader. Still, the cryogenic company and its personnel are completely done away with as soon as Frank and Willie drive away from the complex. The sci-fi element is required for the story, but it's totally a square peg. The movie is unbalanced, no matter what decade I saw it in.
Anyway... that's my two cents. Glad I finally saw it. -
guirunkaryyk20 June 2004Sure, this movie may be a bit on the predictable side, and the whole cryo-stasis thing might be a bit hard to swallow, but once you're able to get to the suspension of belief, what's left is a sweet, sentimental movie that's perfect for you and your special someone to cuddle up to as you watch.
Brian Wimmer and Peter Berg turn in terrific performances as brothers-in-law on-the-run from the authorities because of a crime they didn't commit. Wimmer comes across as being just as honest, caring and sincere as he needs to, which is considerable, since his character and performance depend on it. Berg, playing a somewhat-dimwitted man with a heart of gold is perfect, as he's often been in his minor, but memorable performances. The rest of the cast is more than competent, but the success of this movie depends on its two leads, and they come through with flying colors. You can't help but pull for these guys. One of the first thing a film-maker wants to do is get the audience interested and caring about the main characters, and trust me, you will be...
Funny and sweet, this is the perfect movie for a quiet night alone with your honey. If you consider yourself at all a romantic (love conquers all...and the like), you'll love this movie. -
GimmeABreakNell30 December 2021I saw this film at the cinema in late '91 with some friends from work. I've watched it a couple of times since, and if I'm not mistaken, I even owned it on VHS for a time. To this day, this is one of the only movies I've seen where I didn't actually enjoy the 'bulk' or 'meat' of the movie, but the ending was so wonderful that I'd almost recommend it! The last thirty minutes are a treasure. The first 45 mins-1 hour is a silly, goofy, often boring sci-fi caper with flat jokes and annoying performances.
But oh, that third act. If they'd only followed that formula for the entire film, I think this would be one of my favorites! -
rooster_davis12 April 2012A man returns home after being frozen for many years. He finds his daughter is grown and hears what happened to his wife. While explaining something the daughter mentions Ronald Reagan. The man, who has been frozen and unaware of the past 25 years, says "You mean Ronald Reagan the movie actor?" She says "He was the president." The man says "You mean, President of the movie people?" She replies "Worse. President of everyone." Never mind that he was one of the most popular US Presidents. No he wasn't perfect but he was directly responsible for many positives, such as, say, the fall of the Soviet Union, the movement to re-unify Germany, support for Lech Walesa and the labor movement in Poland, reduction of tax rates for working Americans, and an enormous turnaround of the US economy. He loved this country and put it first in everything he did. Those things aren't good enough for the Hollywood limousine liberals. Well after his first term, Reagan did not even campaign for re-election and won 49 out of 50 states. Sorry, Hollywood, but you insulted the wrong President. Even Reagan's political adversaries could not deny that he was a genuine likable man and an effective communicator, unlike some we have (had) who sound more like Porky Pig while reading from teleprompter.
For that insult and for the smugness of the Hollywood Left I give this movie one lousy star and IMO that is rating it far too high. I have had it up to here with having Hollywood push their smarmy views on everyone and that includes even in a lousy made for TV movie like this. The people who wrote or 'acted' that scene share in the blame for this utter lack of class. If I was in the cast I would have refused to even take part in that pathetic display of liberal intolerance. -
rbsjrx15 May 2004As I noted in my review for "Quest For Love", there are very few films in the SF/Romance genre. It is, after all, a tough combination to do right. Fortunately, "Late For Dinner" does it right.
The plot has some similarities to Mel Gibson's "Forever Young". Both are the stories of someone being the guinea pig for a cryonics experiment, only to be thawed out many years in the future when their mate has aged without them. In this case, two brothers are frozen after an accident sends them on the run, accused of murder. One is Willy, a family man devoted to his wife and daughter. The other is Frank, mildly retarded and slowly dying of a degenerative incurable disease. Frank has become part of Willy's extended family, with everyone accepting his oddities and looking out for him. The issues we care about are the love story between Willy and his wife and whether there will be a cure for Frank's disease by the time he's thawed out.
What raises this above the Gibson film is that you believe from the beginning that the romantic leads (Willy and his wife) are really in love. The relationship of the two brothers is caring without being idealized - they fight and argue, but you believe in how much they really care for one another. In "Forever Young", the characters display none of the depth of feeling that you associate with real love. Gibson's character lives in the world of Hollywood script writers where all relationships are self-gratifying and transitory, while this film is firmly rooted in the world we've hopefully all lived in at some point in our lives and would like to believe we could live in forever.
The performances are excellent - touching without being maudlin. The three principles - Brian Wimmer, Peter Berg, and Marcia Gay Harden - are all totally believable. The secondary roles don't fail us, and especially so that of Colleen Flynn as Willy's grown daughter.
All SF requires that you suspend disbelief to some degree, but that requirement is minimal here. The characters and their actions are all totally believable. What's more, they're good people - not perfect, but good. You really want things to work out for them. -
tempshill26 March 2007Boring, boring, boring. Predictable in every way. The time travel angle was not at all exploited for drama nor comedy, which made it less believable than "Back to the Future". "Wow, this telephone has push buttons! I shall evoke laffs by trying to move my finger in a rotary fashion over them." "What's that? It's an airplane! This world is amazing!" Much worse, the two main characters were not sympathetic; they were losers and I didn't care at all what happened to them. The retarded brother angle didn't evoke any sympathy either; rather than make me care about their lives and care that they overcome great odds to avoid unjust persecution, etc., I would have preferred that they both contract cryogenic cancer and die. Quickly. Bored, I walked out of the theater, which I *never* do.
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becca1822 June 2002When Willy and his brother in law Frank (Peter Berg) who is intellectually disabled run into some trouble after a misunderstanding with a land developer (Peter Gallager), which leaves Willy injured and the land developer dead, they leave there home town of Santa Fe and travel to California, where they are helped by a Dr who asks Frank if he could have a really good nights sleep and wake up with a new kidney (Frank has health problems besides his disability), would he be willing to try it, Frank wholeheartedly agrees accept Willy and Frank are cryongenically frozen and woken up 29 years later after the tanks they are in become damaged from a cable reel falling through the roof of the warehouse they are in, They then embark on a journey home to Santa Fe to get there lives back, however what they once had may not be so easy to get back, as they discover. This movie although not a smash hit or a box office hit, was in my mind quite good, Peter Gallager as the slimey land developer delivers a steller performance and Peter Berg as Frank delivers one of his best performances to date, though I am biased in that regard as I absolutely love this actor and have been following his career religiously for a while now. I'd recomend this film to all audiences, young and old.
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robh28 July 1998I can remember watching this film at the cinema 7 years ago. It was such a boring film that it somehow stuck in my memory.
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oyvay19 November 2000I just saw 'Late for Dinner' again on TV.
I forgot how much I liked it.
It's both simple and silly but it's also sweet and endearing.
I guess, for me it seems like an Australian film that was made in America. No big bang special effects. Great characters and a laconic but genuine feel about the story, the characters, and the overall impression.
Both guys are cute and believable in this really unbelievable yarn.
I cried when Willy met up with his 'old' wife Joy. They both did it so well.
No great intellectual challenges here...just a most enjoyable movie. -
ccthemovieman-113 April 2006This was kind of a 'sleeper' in that I have never heard much about this film - it's not well-known, but it's very good: almost like an old-fashioned classic era story in that is guaranteed to bring a tear or two to your eyes at the end. I say "almost" because, unlike classic films, there is some profanity in here and a few unnecessary political cheap shots typical of Hollywood.
Otherwise, it's a nice drama (not a "comedy" as it's often labeled) featuring two men (brothers-in-law), one older one looking after his younger, mentally-slow relative. Brian Wimmer plays "Willie," the caring older in-law and Peter Berg is the younger "Frank." There is some action in the beginning, the film then turns a bit sci-fi as the brothers are accidentally frozen in time, and then the last third is a romance. Along the way, there is comedy from time to time.
In other words, you get a little bit of everything in here, but in the end it is a drama that entertains throughout the hour-and-a-half. I'm still waiting for this to be issued on DVD. -
callmurf11 July 1999Sure, this isn't a film that rocked the movie theater, but it is a nice little picture; an enjoyable Sunday TV matinee. The premise is a little hokey, "time travelers frozen". But this is not Science Fiction here, it is only the vehicle for the story. The theme is Love: and what love it should aspire to be, something that prevails over time and the physical.
The performances, such as Peter Berg's lovable uncle, are endearing as they create this strong, believable family. In short, I cared about these people and I wanted to see them make this great love work.
To really enjoy this movie you need to suspend your disbelief a little. If you look beyond the premise and focus on the characters, you'll be pleasantly surprised. -
RondoHatton7 December 2003I was spurred to do a quick review since "Late For Dinner" was shown today on one of my pay channels. My Comcast "interactive" program info, which I understand is furnished by TV Guide,(those well-known pimps for the big networks, E!, People magazine, & other arbiters of "taste") gave this move 1 Star on a scale of 5. I did a little scanning, and such "winners" such as Austin Powers(4), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome(2), and The Burning Bed(5) with Farrah Fawcett, got better ratings than this wonderful little movie. However, Amazon reviewers average nearly 5 stars for this movie. "Late For Dinner" is a perfect example of the terms "overlooked" and "underrated". The cast is perfect, and apart from Peter Berg, Peter Gallagher, and Marcia Gay Harden, has pretty much vanished without a trace. Brian Wimmer is great as Willie, the "hero", who comes home after nearly 30 years on ice in Pomona.
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mdbelty2 January 2000I purchased this movie in a video store with no info on the box. What a great buy! It is on my list of all time favorites. The family love, loyality and tenderness in this film is so real you can almost feel it. If you haven`t seen it do yourself a favor and rent it. I`m sure every women out there will fall in love with Willy, I did.
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...and had youthful dreams of his return, this movie will be cathartic for you. It will fill your heart. The first half of the film is rough, coarse, silly and contrived. The second half is a very well-tuned, sensitive portrayal of the dreamt-for return of your loved one. I'm 60 years old. This film has the greatest ending of any movie I have EVER seen.
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jdxinlla30 January 2005This is the kind of movie you can spend wrapped in your other half's arms and enjoy. Too bad it has not been released in DVD.Watching a land tycoon try to ruin the life of a hard working man that is put out of work makes you think this is what can happen in the real world. What a way to get over on people and think because you have money and power you can do what you want. Going through what they went through with loosing many years of life and having the determination to get what is left back, makes you love this movie for what is worth. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you care for other people close to you. This movie was put in my top 10 without even trying. The cast could not have been better. The way you feel about them by the end of this event will make you watch this movie every time you feel the need.
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sjadelson28 March 2002I heard about Late For Dinner about the time that Mel Gibson's "Forever Young" came out... some reviewer commented that LFD had done the concept previously and better. They were right!
My wife and I absolutely love this flick. It's funny, romantic, and heartwarming. It is NOT a time travel movie, although certainly it touches on certain SF concepts.
One of the few movies that I actually get teary over. It really should be released on DVD as soon as possible. -
Aura.B8 September 1998I remember the first time I watched this film... At first I was reluctant to even stay in the room let alone watch it.. (I had no clue what the film was or was even going to be about) Luckily, I stayed. By the tail end of this film, I was laughing, crying even though I hate to, and ready to bounce out the door and research the actors/actresses starring in it ! I loved this film for it's humanity, wit, humor and well-written script. On the screen it came alive to me, portraying what I'm certain a lot of orphaned or widowed people wish would come true.
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It helps to have a really attractive leading man (Wimmer) to make a solid comedy/romance/ even better.
But the real innovation comes from Peter Berg's character. He plays the brother of his friend's wife. Anyway, the way he says his lines (and the lines themselves) has been reflected many times since-still-today- as the innocent, goofball, emotionally unstable (but in a kind, sensitive way) sidekick. i think he may have been the first to play a role that was goofy and loveable, yet the most honest character in the story. This kinda started a genre of these kind of characters for TV sitcoms.
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It might've been also the first movie to deal with the problem where someone zips through about 30 years and oops! his wife is old! what's he gonna do w/her now? and actually has the man stay with an older wife, and live happily ever after! So sweet!
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