Dining out is a pleasure some of us enjoy. Today's busy life style makes restaurants the social gathering places for most people that love to eat out, as well as entertaining in a neutral territory, or make business deals. It is inevitably not to overhear some conversations around where one sits. Eavesdropping cannot be avoided because most diners are, for the most part, enjoying themselves; they do not care if their conversations are heard at the other tables, in most cases tongues are loosened up with drinks.Arturo al Portico is a Roman trattoria that caters to a well to do crowd. Most of the patrons are dressed for a night out with some sense of formality. Flora, who runs the place with her husband, is the perfect hostess. Her tact is impeccable. She is friendly, yet Flora knows her place and is never pushy. In other words, going to Arturo's is a pleasant experience for most visitors. Some even go daily, like Professor Pezzullo, and Flora, who appreciates his loyalty, has kept his checks at about the same price level for a number of years. The man is wise, as he is old. He observes everything; after all, he is in the middle of a theatrical performance every night!The different diners one gets to know form a diverse group of individuals with their own dramas. Like Isabella, having dinner with her daughter. The girl makes an announcement about wanting to become a nun, something that confounds Isabella. Then, there is a woman that brings two men that her lovers, more will join her group later. The two actors dining together discuss the upcoming play in which one will have nothing to say, while the other will have the great lines. Another professor arrives with a young student with whom he is having an affair. The young woman has written a letter to the wife telling how she loves her husband and discussing her egotism for wanting him for herself alone. Each table seems to be having its own particular situation, each one different from the other. The Japanese family enjoy capturing the people in the restaurant in Polaroids because the people they meet are so much different from them.Ettore Scola, the great Italian director, invites his audience to accompany him to the restaurant that is in reality, a microcosm of the society in which he lives. He knows these people well and knows what moves them. Mr. Scola weaves the different stories into a great tapestry. His characters are people of a certain social status. The director, who also co-wrote the screenplay takes us table hopping to meet these people on a night out while they enjoy themselves.Vittorio Gassman, one of the best Italian actors of all times, appears as Professor Pezzullo, the older man that has seen a lot in his life. There are so many characters and situations that no one does a star turn, it is more of an ensemble play. Fanny Ardant is the radiant Flora, the owner of the restaurant. She is a joy to watch because she rules the place with tact and fairness. Stefania Sandrelli is Isabella, the mother who learns about her daughter's decision while at the restaurant. Giancarlo Giannini is the other professor having the affair with a younger woman. Marie Gillain, the French actress, appears as Allieva, whose heart is about to be broken at dinner. The supporting cast makes a great contribution to the film.Bon apetito!

I was amazed after the very five minutes. this is not the kind of movie for people who don't care about others or those who are selfish and self-centered I'm sure that people would hate this piece of art, you'll see a whole world inside of few lives. the wise, the magic in every character, some jokes, problems, lies, some fantasy... its just hard to describe. I was eating popcorn and thinking when finally that waiter will take my order. if you have a child's-like imagination, or just you were in some hide small family "restorante" in Italia you'll maybe lived this movie. its perfect for those days when you feel like the world sucks9.8/10

Once again Scola manages to produce high quality cinema, needing for it no more than a good cast of actors and his magistral talent. Rather than the usual Hollywood menu of vulgarity, violence and sex, "La Cena" manages to present in its less that 2 hours, a wide array of dramas in the course of a single dinner evening in a common restaurant. At each table the guests will be immersed in a particular drama (mother vs. daughter, old professor with young student lover, etc.) which are autonomous in themselves but that seem to be part of a larger script. That is achieved thanks to the masterful camera movement that weaves itself among the tables and connects all the independent dramas offering us an orchestrated picture of the restaurant's whole microcosm. Well worth seeing.

I gave 1 to this film. I can't understand how Ettore Scola,one of the greater directors of Italian cinema, made a film like this, so stupid and ridiculous! All the stories of the people involved in the movie are unsubstantial,boring and not interesting. Too long,too boring. The only things I save in this movie are Giancarlo Giannini and Vittorio Gasmann. Hope that Scola will change radically themes and style in his next film.