Roman Polanski directs this comedy of manners adapted from the play by Yasmina Reza, who also co-writes the screenplay. A stripped-back four-hander, the film tells the satirical tale of two sets of well-heeled New York City parents - Penelope and Michael Longstreet (Jodie Foster and John C. Reilly) and Nancy and Alan Cowan (Kate Winslet and Christoph Waltz) - who meet for a discussion after their sons are involved in a violent incident in the school playground. Despite their honourable intentions, long-suppressed resentments and hostilities soon flare up both between and within the couples, leading to a rapid deterioration in civilities.