dilemma: Boogie owes $2000 to a local
shark while placing bets on a football
game; Shrevie would rather depend on his
friends and encyclopedic vinyl than enjoy
the company of his wife (Ellen Barkin);
Fenwick feels the need to waste scholarly
potential on soaking booze and raising hell,
and Billy’s dabble in the past with an old
flame (Kathryn Dowling) leads to an
unexpected pregnancy. But among these
conflicts through which the film shares
measurable time, the most fascinating
comes with Eddie’s decision to quiz his
fiancé (an off-screen Sharon Ziman) on the
Baltimore Colts. At first glance, this seems
like a cute lark, especially with their
marriage pending on the bride’s final score,
until we realize that this is a legitimate
assignment – Eddie is seriously quizzing
his fiancé on football knowledge, lest their
wedding be cancelled. Shrevie keeps score,
oral answers are given in private, and the
bride’s parents even cling to her final score.
And while it’s definitely entertaining at just
the mere absurdity of it, the seeds of this
idea are cemented in an earlier
conversation with Eddie and Shrevie on the
expectations of marriage. It’s not just
arranged, adolescent sex anymore, it’s
waking up and coming home to the same
face every day ‘til death do us part. With
Eddie’s quiz, a deeper issue is at hand with
these guys: the inability to grow as
responsible men. Not boys, MEN.
DINER is a thoughtfully written, sharply
directed view on our tendency to distract
ourselves – and often stunt our growth –
with the mundane.
Written by Dustin Chandler