Review by Aaron Haughton

Beatriz At Dinner is the latest comedy/drama/social commentary film from writer Mike White and director Miguel Arteta, starring Salma Hayek and John Lithgow, who each light up the screen and deliver the best performances of their respective careers. The film made a big splash at the Sundance film festival for its political allegory and is even touted as “The first great film of the Trump era.”

The story follows Beatriz (Hayek), a legal immigrant from Mexico living in Los Angeles, who works as a holistic healer at a cancer treatment facility and massage therapist on the side. When we meet her, she’s having the worst week of her life — her pet goat was recently slain by her drunken neighbor, and she has several patients who seem unaffected by her efforts to treat them. As Beatriz goes about her day, she eventually ends up at the seaside mansion of her “friend” and client Cathy (played by Connie Britton), for a last minute massage, who is gearing up to entertain her husband’s business associates for an intimate dinner party. There is some history between the two women — Cathy’s daughter sought treatment from Beatriz’s facility when she was diagnosed with cancer, resulting in her recovery and a spiritual connection between Beatriz and the daughter — although the class divide still presents a clear barrier between them. However, when Beatriz’s shitty jalopy won’t start, Cathy extends a friendly invitation to stay for dinner. Having no other option, Beatriz reluctantly accepts and soon finds herself face to face with Doug Strut (Lithgow), a cutthroat, unethical, amoral, self-satisfied billionaire, whose lifestyle greatly differs from that of her own. The two opposites then collide over the course of the evening in a clash of culture, class, and ideology.