My Dinner With Abbie

Modeled after Louis Malle's smash My Dinner With Andre, director Nancy Cohen's eat-and-talk interview with the late radical underground legend Abbie Hoffman, filmed two years before Hoffman's suicide in April, 1989, is a fascinating look at one man's political, spiritual, and material journey from angry young man to mellowed thinker. Filmed at Sarge's Deli in New York on the eve of Hoffman's 50th birthday, the "Jewish Road Warrior" sounds off on the 60s, prison life, politics, sex, middle age, living underground, and fame. As the conversation progresses, the psychological dialectic between interviewer and interviewee becomes as interesting as the talk itself. Cohen, who comes to the table with an idealized portrait of Hoffman, often seems completely out of sync with the conversation. Early on, one wonders whether Hoffman is simply going to get up between courses and leave. But then, with increasing frequency, the fire lights his eyes, and he's off and verbally running. Still, it's almost painful to see the communication gap that exists between Cohen, media child, and Hoffman, media critic. Hoffman wants to talk philosophy, Cohen wants to talk surface; Hoffman is interested in ideas, Cohen in personality. Although the duo never find much common ground, it's intriguing to watch the struggle. Highly recommended. (See COMING TO TERMS for availability.)