Dinner Rush

This is one of those undiscovered movies that are such a delight to stumble across.

Solid script and expert direction along with a top-notch cast make this film about an Italian restaurant in New York a real joy to watch.

Danny Aiello reminds us of why he became a star in this nuanced performance, and Summer Phoenix shows us why she should be in her supporting role. And the rest of the cast is firecracker sharp.

Looking at the video box, it seemed to be about mobsters, but it's so much more than that. Yes, mobsters are part of the plot, but it's more like a Robert Altman film. Several intertwining stories combine in one night, and the mobsters are just part of that. So don't be put off by the video box, which suggests a pure mob movie.

If you're a fan of smartly done films with depth and humor, see this!

I found this gem in the bargain bin at Wal Mart. How it got there, I don't know. The film stars Danny Aiello (Do The Right Thing), Mike McGlone (The Brothers McMullen) and John Corbett (Sex and the City). Set in the fast paced New York Italian restaurant "Gigino", we follow a restaurant owner (Aiello) and his son, the head chef, on a busy Friday night. The film is comprised of witty banter from different tables in the restaurant, following a uptight art critic, a mafiosi from Queens, a food critic and a real mystery man in Corbett's character. The staff has to deal with a power outage, whiny tables and a line chef who is into a bookie 35 grand. The film carries itself with panache every second, and no matter how often I see this picture, be it on DVD or on IFC, I just can't get enough. Check it out!

The film is about a trendy family restaurant in New York. As one character says..."It's a joint with a buzz!" It's an apt expression, for the film surely buzzes non-stop as the characters crowd into this very popular restaurant noted for its delicious food. Down below the restaurant is the kitchen where the meals are prepared. This is the most stunning part of the film. Absolutely believable. Perfect cinema. Among the steaming saucepans and oiled fry pans there is the clatter of white plates on which the chefs and kitchen staff arrange the most surprising little temptations at lightning speed. The hand of the director is most noticeable here with superb choreographed movement of the actors in the confined space. There is clatter and chatter, laughter and fisticuffs.

The mood is different at the dining tables. Idle gossip among the clients and smart remarks to the staff about the appropriateness of hanging oil paintings in a restaurant. Then there is the presence of the food writers ready to criticize and gangster types insisting on a partnership with the management. It's all go...go...go...as the camera follows the dishes to the tables. There is a perpetual air of excitement.

The cameras constantly switch from dining room to kitchen and kitchen to dining room maintaining a lively feeling of urgency as the trays are carried up the stairs. The dialogue is fast too and I find it sometimes difficult to follow. The large cast requires some sorting out as well.

The ending comes unexpectedly with a surprising twist.

This film is really about revenge. Like some food preparations, revenge can simmer for a long time. One thing is made clear to me however. Revenge as a dish is best served cold.

"Dinner Rush" will inevitably be compared to "Big Night," and other food preparation/restaurant movies, but I think it holds its own as a delicious slice of one night of New York life. As one character plotzes: "When did eating out become theater?"

The wonderful, winsome multi-ethnic ensemble of mostly New York actors --many born in Brooklyn according to the IMDb--who have done a lot of TV work are clearly enjoying making a movie as a coordinated team. Danny Aiello has his best, and somewhat similar, role since "City Hall."

Many of the references may go over the heads of those West of the Hudson or East of the East River, whether to Tribeca (as a newly trendy neighborhood) or Danny Meyer (restaurant entrepreneur). Or even the digs at Queens as the home of mobsters, which were greeted by silence by the Queens audience I saw it with.

The upstairs/downstairs of the kitchen scrambles vs. the dining pleasures and everyone's personal spices are lots of fun. The actors playing obnoxious customers, like Sandra Bernhard, do so with relish but not overplayed.

Keep your palate clear by not looking at the ad campaign or reading the reviews, as I think they give the plot away and I was totally surprised by the ending, er, the dessert.

(originally written 9/29/2001)

This is one the rare gems of independent cinema.

I wish more people had seen this when it came out. It is a beautifully shot film about the life of a restaurant on a busy night. But there is so much more to this film. It combines a fascinating mob element that you don't fully understand until the end with the delicate flair of a master chef combining ingredients in a meal. The ending is immensely surprising and gratifying. All the performances are believable, especially Corbett who is in his best film. It is the dynamic of a trendy restaurant dealing with a record-breaking night, however that makes this film superb. It takes so many lives and elements and brings them together with aplomb. This is one of the best films in recent years.