I think it would be a mistake to reveal much about the story of this film, so I will deal only with it merits.David O. Selznick set out to create another of his quality productions with "Dinner at Eight", starring an all-star cast.Billie Burke, with her lilting voice, plays Millicent, the wife of a shipping business owner. She is self-consumed and intent on creating a perfect dinner party.Lionel Barrymore plays Oliver Jordan, her husband and a man with several problems on his hands. Madge Evans plays Paula, their daughter who is engaged to a young, attractive man who is cut from very regular cloth. She is involved with another man--one who offers a more exotic and challenging relationship.Wallace Beery plays Dan Packard, a coarse and aggressive businessman who is invited to the dinner at Oliver's request. His wife Kitty is played by Jean Harlow. She's a platinum-plated gold digger whose relationship with Dan is similar to that between Billie and Harry in "Born Yesterday".Edmund Lowe plays Dr. Talbot, a "masher" who treats several characters.Marie Dressler plays Carlotta Vance, a retired actress who flaunts a lifestyle she cannot sustain. Ms. Dressler often plays the matronly socialite for laughs; here she is a fully-developed character who is allowed to show her real acting talent.John Barrymore plays Larry Renault, an actor who is on the down-side of a career onstage and in film. His is one of the bravest portrayals I have ever seen, as his character's personality and situation are written so close to his own.The main strength of this film is the story, which allows each character to be developed, giving emotional depth to the story. It is well worth seeing.

Many years ago (I'd say around 1998-1999) I brought home a copy of "Dinner At Eight" on videotape, prepared to watch a gem. I'm sorry to say, I was nearly bored to tears. Over ten years later, I saw the film a second time on TV. Being older, I figured I might hold a differing viewpoint.It was still deadly dull."Dinner At Eight" is nominally about a social climber (Billie Burke) who's plotting a society party. The people who are invited all have various motives for attending (or not attending) this dinner. These motives are shared over the course of the film, which ends as dinner is about to begin.I kept waiting for dinner to begin, if only cause I felt that the dinner would've been necessary compensation for the two hours of dull build up to this soirée. For my money, the scenes with John Barrymore hold up best. Wallace Beery and Jean Harlow have some amusing bits early on, but near the end, I found myself tiring of the bickering. Billie Burke is just fine, but I wish she would've had more screen time. She, along with Harlow & Beery, and a few of Barrymore's lines, provide what humor is in this film.Other's may find it wonderful, but I found it to be a letdown, especially given the hype it's received over the years.

My mother and I watched most of this movie, expecting it to be a comedy (from what the box said). Comedy? There was not a single laugh or even smile to be had. The movie ranged from boring to unpleasant, and there were plenty of big stars but nary a likable or sympathetic character in the lot.The movie stars a wealthy New York woman who wants to throw a dinner party for the purpose of social advancement, with her husband reluctantly going along. She invites over a wealthy British couple who are coming to the United States, and invites a number of other people to have the proper number, as well as the right mixture of males and females. But everyone has some sort of dark secret; the couple's daughter, who has a fiancée, has fallen in love with an actor whose career is failing; the husband's company is in serious financial trouble; a former actress is also in financial difficulty; a bullying former miner is secretly buying out the husband's company's stock, and his wife is having an affair; and this is just a sample of the betrayals and intrigues that are going on.This could have had the makings of a comedy, but we found no jokes or any other reasons to laugh. Nor did we end up caring what happened to any of the characters in the story. Pass up this dinner invitation.

This classic has two immediate things going for it: being directed by George Cukor and produced by David O. Selznik. And a very well-healed ensemble cast doesn't hurt a movie either. At first you think this is a comedy, but humor can turn serious rather quickly. This fast paced film has Park Avenue socialite Millicent Jordan(Billie Burke)throwing a dinner party for a gathering of upper-crust high society friends. Under the surface are some depressing situations. Millicent is so self-absorbed, she doesn't realize her shipping magnet husband Oliver(Lionel Barrymore)has been hiding bad health and the fact his company may be going bankrupt. He hopes that business tycoon Dan Packard(Wallace Beery)will give him a loan; but he has his own problems with vivacious wife Kitty(Jean Harlow). Former theater actress Carlotta Vance(Marie Dressler)arrives from England in dire monetary straits and is hoping to sell her stock back to Oliver. John Barrymore portrays Larry Renault, an over-the-hill actor losing a battle with the bottle and tempted with suicide. All this proving that high society is not all bubbly, but dour as well. Others in the cast: Lee Tracy, Madge Evans, Edmund Lowe, Jean Hersholt and Phillips Holmes.