Dinner For Five

By James Poniewozik

Trick question: What do actors talk about when there's no audience? Answer: Without an audience, they would cease to exist. But in Dinner for Five, Jon Favreau (with Cheri Oteri and waiter) plays host to four colleagues for a private dinner chat about work, other actors and the pitfalls of fame (e.g., the ugly fan who says, "Everybody tells me I look just like you!"). The guest list mingles affable cutups like Kevin Pollak with volatile screen lions like Rod Steiger, who seems ready to pop somebody. It's self-involved and amusing--and often both at once.

--J.P.