In attempting to describe this movie to friends, I realized that four people sitting around a single room and yelling at one another doesn’t sound like a particularly compelling production. But then, it’s exactly the things this film lacks (3-D effects, grandiose sets, Sam Worthington) that make it so different and fun.

The entire film – except the opening and closing scenes – takes place inside apartment of Michael and Penelope Longstreet (John C. Reilly and Jodie Foster) as they meet with the parents of a boy who hit their own son in the face with a stick. The other couple (played by Christopher Waltz and Kate Winslet) begins the meeting contrite and relenting. Over time, the differences between the characters begin to bubble to the surface, and things go to hell in a hand basket.

There is a deliciously slow place to this film, and while some people may have difficulty with that, those who can stay engaged throughout are rewarded when the proverbial sh*t really does hit the fan.

Roman Polanski, the controversial but undeniably iconic director of such films as “Chinatown,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” and “The Pianist,” has at his disposal four actors so impeccably cast that I suspect he was able to devote every ounce of his energy to simply crafting the film rather than managing the talent.

It shouldn’t go unmentioned, however, that it is based on an award-winning stage play – good source material is always a good leg-up.

The Longstreets are ostensibly progressive and easy-going. The Cowans, conversely, come off cold and over-polished. The meeting comes agonizingly, tantalizingly close to ending without serious conflict. Then, again and again, each of the four characters finds ways to re-open the dialogue, nearly always with something snide and back-handed.

The irony, of course, is that the four adults, whose sole goal was to manage the actions of their children, begin displaying all the impatience and irrational scorn that children do. The two women in particular display impressive transformations. No surprise there – Foster and Winslet have three Oscars and a pile of nominations between them. Both are up for Golden Globes.

For such a minimalist product, I was a little surprised to see the budget was a reported $25 million, but I suspect the lion’s share of that went to paying the all-star cast.

With just a 79-minute runtime, don’t get wrapped up in thinking that it’s dry and boring. I spent a great deal of that time laughing, and it didn’t take a single dick or fart joke to make it happen.

My rating: 8 out of 10.