Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Ed Uyeshima If you like to flip the channel dexterously between "The Sopranos" and the Food Network, this 2000 movie may be for you. Directed by Bob Giraldi, who is still probably most famous for directing a pre-surgery Michael Jackson in his "Beat It" video, the story is set in one evening almost entirely within the confines of a trendy downtown Manhattan restaurant in the trendy TriBeCa neighborhood. Giraldi succeeds in developing and maintaining a sense of combustible energy when it comes to an upscale restaurant's inner workings. He should know since he is part-owner of several such restaurants of which the one featured, Gigino Trattoria, is one. By comparison, the film feels less assured when it comes to the cross currents of its multiple dramatic elements.Although the movie has an omnibus feel about it, the plot primarily focuses on the inevitable conflicts between Louis, the old-school owner and Udo, his ambitious, hotshot chef son. It helps that Danny Aiello plays Louis in such an economical fashion as he can make his character's melodramatic situation convincing - quitting a bookmaking side-business that got his partner killed and handing over the reigns of the eatery to his son. Screenwriters Rick Shaughnessy and Brian Kalata have crafted a tight script, though there is a cursory feel to the film that gives us a Robert Altman-like hodgepodge of eccentric characters. Their lives are shuffled between courses with some odd casting choices that somehow work, for example, Sandra Bernhard as a harpy food critic in a bad wig and John Corbett as a deceptively casual bar regular.Edoardo Ballerini is not particularly interesting as Udo, but Kirk Acevedo provides jumpy energy to Duncan, the sous-chef whose gambling debt has a domino effect on the rest of the characters. The mob angle is played up with stock characters embodied by Mike McGlone and Alex Corrado as two obvious hoods, and there is even a pretentious dinner party headed by a pompous art gallery owner portrayed with obnoxious languor by Mark Margolis. However, it is the hustle of the food preparation in the kitchen when the film really takes off, in particular, when Udo creates a sensational-looking, customized lobster tower for Bernhard's character. It's surprising that Giraldi has not made more films, but at least he sticks with his obvious passion and comes up with an often-interesting dish that I have to believe Anthony Bourdain would love.

sweetjem-1 I think this is one of the excellent films of independent cinema. I really like on how they mixed the pleasantness of cooking and the violence of killing people in the same place. the restaurant. The actors are great too.It made me wanna learn how to cook like that, but not kill like that...awesome movie. I can watch it over and over again. I never expected John Corbett's character to be like that towards the end....it was great, i loved it.It's like the food network meets sopranos. just picture it. Good food, being made, and getting wasted!

edwardi-koch New York City, and Greenwich Village in particular, is really the star of this modern more light-hearted update of the gritty city films in which Richard Conte used to specialize. John Corbett has one of his best film roles to-date as a customer at the bar. Danny Aiello is magnificent as the restaurant patriarch.Overall, the plot takes a back seat to the Italian food and the Itazlian neighborhood atmosphere that is New-York-in-its-glory through-and-through. It is a movie that invites you to sample it as if you were eating one of its luscious Italian dishes. First, one delicious morsel, than another. Now, stop to digest. Have a sip of wine, eat a piece of homemade bread, sop up the gravy (real Italian-Americans in that section of NY never say "sauce."), then return to the main dish, and sample some more. This movie is a real treat. Watch it on a Saturday afternoon on DVD, then head down to Little Italy and enjoy a delicious meal!

TheCurator This film rates right up there with my all time greats, wonderfully acted and a twist ending that unlike most 'hollywood' films, one doesn't see coming! The attention to detail (my pet peeve) was perfect and Danny Aeilo is in perfect form. I would thoroughly recommend this film to anybody.Not that it's in this film but as a 'by the way'- how on earth do directors film car scenes with the driver looking at the passenger for more than 3 seconds and leave it unedited - are they insane?? totally spoils a movie for me no matter how good the rest of it may be...Apologies for digressing - WATCH DINNER RUSH!