Dinner at the Ritz: A bit dusty, but worth it for Niven

Should you watch Dinner at the Ritz? If you are a fan of old British mysteries or just want to see a young David Niven doing his thing, then yes, absolutely. It is snappy and doesn't overstay its welcome. However, if you hate plots that rely on coincidences and people just walking into the right rooms at the right time, maybe skip this one. It’s not exactly The Black Room in terms of tension, but it has its own weird, polite charm.

The whole premise starts with a murder that feels a bit tacked on, honestly. The daughter is hunting down the guys who ruined her father, and she does it by selling diamonds to them. It’s a bold career move, I guess. I couldn't help but notice how everyone in these high-society scenes just talks at each other rather than to each other. It’s a very specific kind of 1930s performative politeness that makes me want to stretch.

David Niven is in this, and he is just… Niven. He has that way of leaning into a frame that makes everything look a little bit more expensive than it actually is. There is a moment where he enters a room and for a split second, the whole movie seems to wake up. Then he leaves and the movie goes back to being a bit of a slog. It’s weird how much a single person can tilt the energy of a scene.

There are these jewelry shop scenes that feel like they were filmed in a closet. The lighting is so flat it looks like a stage play that someone accidentally turned into a movie. I kept waiting for someone to trip over a prop, but nope, they all move with this strange, practiced precision. It’s almost hypnotic if you stop trying to follow the actual mystery.

Honestly, the mystery itself is kind of thin. I stopped caring about who killed the financier about twenty minutes in, but I stayed for the costumes. The hats! The hats in this movie are absolutely unhinged. Some of them look like they are trying to escape the actors' heads. It’s the kind of visual detail that keeps you watching when the plot starts to sag.

If you have ever seen The Black Room, you know how atmosphere can carry a film. This movie doesn't really have that. It’s more of a, well, a dinner party movie. It’s polite, a bit stuffy, and mostly just wants to keep the plates moving. It doesn’t have the grit of Speed Devils, that’s for sure. But sometimes you just want something that feels like a rainy Sunday afternoon.

I caught myself looking at the background extras a few times. There’s one guy in a tuxedo who looks like he’s been holding his breath for the entire duration of his scene. Why? Who knows. That’s the kind of stuff I live for in these old films. The movie doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be watchable.

At the end of the day, it is a breezy little flick. Don't go in expecting a masterpiece. Just bring some snacks and enjoy the banter. 🍸