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TV Guide Online
January 20, 2003
Meal People
Dinner for Five
(11pm/ET, IFC)
by Angel Cohn
Ever have dinner with some of your closest friends and imagine it would make a really funny TV show? Well Jon Favreau apparently had just that thought when he conceived Dinner for Five. Each week the Swingers writer and star gets together with four of his Hollywood acquaintances and sits them down at a nice restaurant for a relaxing dinner and an open forum for whatever subject happens to pop up. Topics run the gamut from being uncomfortable during on-screen sex scenes to banter about what makes one film better than another. Even the oft taboo subjects of religion and politics can occasionally appear.
Last season featured an eclectic group of insiders ranging from P. Diddy, who worked on Favreau's directorial debut, Made, to Ghost World's Illeana Douglas. Often these guests have a common thread that loosely binds them; other times it is a random group of people whom Favreau has managed to collect. Both situations offer unique opportunities to discuss the acting world, mutual friends and shared experiences from their journeys way into the Hollywood elite.
In the case of tonight's episode, which marks the second-season premiere, Favreau has gathered several of his co-stars from the new film Daredevil, including Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, and Colin Farrell, on a day off from shooting the action flick. Rounding out the group is Affleck's pal — and avid comic book fan — Kevin Smith.
The outspoken Smith dominates the early part of this 30-minute episode as he tries to clear up a misunderstanding that occurred when Smith's Internet following obtained a quote from Favreau in which he dissed the Clerks director. After that an equally verbal Affleck segues the conversation into autograph hounds and his annoyance at his friend Smith's insistence upon signing Dogma posters by writing, "So Gay", under Affleck's attractive mug.
Once those conflicts get resolved the conversation turns to people with large foreheads, the auditioning process and Farrell's obsession with sex. A highlight of the evening comes when Garner threatens to kick Smith's derriere after his constant harassing of Affleck gets to be too much for the soft-spoken Alias star. And there is no doubt that the extremely fit actress could do it; Affleck himself sports a scar on his chin from a stunt scene he did with Garner.
The most refreshing thing about this show is watching the celebrities as they begin to relax and enjoy the unscripted banter. Some seem to hang back at the beginning and wait for their moment before they open up and start sharing their opinions. The mild-mannered Favreau does an excellent job of making everyone comfortable and prodding the quieter guests, who may focus more on the meal then trying to get a word in edgewise.
What makes this particular series more interesting than many of the other talk or discussion shows out there is the lack of structure. With many panel shows, guests are given a set topic — usually something political or sports related — and celebrities are often just out hocking their newest project. Here, aside from the unobtrusive identity tag that appears under a guest to remind you who they are and what film they are discussing, the intrusions into the active conversation are few and far between, with an oh-so-subtle title inserted when a new topic begins.
Even if you aren't really a fan of a given week's particular celebrities, its intriguing to watch them with their guard down. For instance, I never realized before last season that Dwight Yoakam was funny. I mean, really — who knew? It was also refreshing to see Favreau and his buddy Vince Vaughn playfully poke fun at each other. By the end of it all, you are usually left feeling so full and content with your new knowledge that you can't wait to share with your own dinner guests.
© TV Guide Online 2003
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