Customer Reviews

Big Night [VHS]

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is a beautiful movie on a number of levels. As many reviewers have noted already the Italian cooking and the scenes in the kitchen will have you craving a fine Italian dinner as soon as you finish watching.
Beyond the food this is a fine film with a very touching story involving two immigrant brothers who are extremely close despite their obvious personality differences. The tension between the brothers builds as they attempt to salvage their struggling restaurant business. Primo (Tony Shalhoub)the older brother has an artistic temperment and that applies to his uncompromising approach to cooking and cuisine. His brother,Secondi(Staney Tucci), has more material ambitions and is manipulated by a competing restauratnt owner into an ill-advised attempt to publicise their restaurant by having an elaborate dinner party for singer Louie Prima. Hence the film revolves around preparations for THE BIG NIGHT.

The climax has the conflict between the brothers break out into the open and the film ends with a beautiful sequence in the kitchen where there is a silent reconcilliation.

The story is set in a New Jersey shore town in the 1950's. The period is captured beautifully with big-finned Cadilacs cruising down the main street and the women's fashions are right on the money. The soundtrack is absolutely fabulous with cuts from Rosemary Clooney, Louie Prima and some lesser known Italian recording artists.
Both Shalhoub and Tucci are excellent in thei roles and the supporting cast is very good as well.

Overall I highly reccomend both the film and the soundtrack.

Eat before you watch this movie; otherwise, you'll end up painfully hungry and go stuff yourself with every bit of Italian food you can lay your hands on.

This is a simple story of two brothers struggling to fulfill their dreams - one to be a "success" in America; the other to be a great Italian chef.

Realizing the dreams of the first brother hinges on the success of one important meal depends on the skill of the second - and forces outside their control.

Tucci, Shaloub, Holm and company all give wonderful performances. There's no showing off by the many successful actors who are in this movie - they all just do a great job.

The climax of the movie is the banquet scene, and it's going to make you hungry and want to get up and dance.

The final scene which lasts for several minutes with the only dialog being one line - "are you hungry" - wraps up the movie nicely, and shows what a good director and actors can do when both understand the power of subtlety.

This is one fun movie - lots of laughs, amazing food, and a great soundtrack.

Stanley Tucci, as actor, co-writer, and co-director (with Campbell Scott, who also plays a pitch-perfect small part as a car salesman), deserves a great deal of the credit for this small, intimate, delightful film. But the film resonates because it got so many of the little touches right, from the ensemble cast to the soundtrack to the editing to the cinematography. So there is a lot of credit to go around.

Tucci plays Secondo, the aptly named younger of two Italian brothers who have emigrated to New Jersey from the Old Country. Secondo is the entrepreneur, the guy who wants the big Cadillac. Primo (Tony Shahloub), the older brother, is the magician of a chef. Primo is so good, in fact, that his culinary masterpieces go over the heads of the good folks of New Jersey. When contemplating a wonderful seafood risotto, a diner complains that she can't see the seafood, and that her desired side of spaghetti doesn't come with meatballs (inspiring the wonderful line, "Sometimes spaghetti wants to be alone").

Primo bemoans the fact that he is serving food to Philistines, but the sad fact is that most of the Philistines are eating across the street at Pascal's restaurant. Pascal, played with great zest by Ian Holm, knows that you have to give the customer what he wants -- even if it is culinary sacrilege. The contrasts between the restaurants, from the colors to the lighting to the clientele, could not be more staggering!

Secondo laments to Pascal of his financial woes, but refuses Pascal's (repeated) offer to come work for him. Pascal, being a big-hearted guy, tells Secondo to pull of a "big night," with no holds barred. Pascal will invite his good friend, Louis Prima, who will come, eat, and love Secondo's restaurant. Then, the people will come.

So the story builds to the big night (a side plot regarding Secondo's tortured love life notwithstanding), which is where the movie really takes off.

Organizing the banquet scene into courses, "Big Night" revels in the wonders that can only be brought about by great cooking. The cast has a difficult task -- how do you emote rapture without going over the top? The ensemble cast, which includes Isabella Rosselini, Minnie Driver, and Allison Janney, nails this task just right. The cooking scenes are also hectic and impressive without going over the top, too.

Following the big night, many truths are revealed, perhaps because it is impossible to deceive after having such a wondrous experience. If this film doesn't move you, or inspire you to get thee hence to an Italian restaurant, you have no heart!

But again, the heart of the movie is its dedication to the small touches. From Primo using his cup to tamp down his espresso grounds to the making of a simple omelet, this movie gets it all just right.

The DVD does not have much to offer as far as extras go. What it does have is one heck of little film.

"Big Night" is more than just a film about food, it's about heart, brotherhood and the American Dream. Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and Secundo (Stanley Tucci) are Italian brothers struggling to make their small restaurant a success. Secondo (called "Seco" for short) is thankful to be in the United States. His English is strong and he sees America as the land of opportunity. His brother Primo is an artist with food - an amazing talent who is so passionate about food, he refers to the lackluster menu of the restaurant across the street as the "rape of cuisine." And he's not kidding when he says it, either.

Seco may have been born in Italy, but he's always been an American in his heart. He understands the culture and knows that you have to give Americans what they want. Primo is insulted by the reprobate palate of their backwards clientele and refuses to compromise.

Many plots intertwine... Seco's romance with Phyllis (Minnie Driver) contrasted with his affair with Gabriella (the stunningly gorgeous Isabella Rosellini), and the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads - the impending foreclosure of their restaurant.

Primo and Secondo have one last shot at success as an impending visit by Jazz performer Louis Prima promises to put their little piece of Italy on the map.

Ian Holm plays their nemesis, Pascal, a competing restaurateur who admires Primo's talents and has no qualms about ruining the lives of his fellow Italian-Americans in the spirit of not-so-friendly competition.

Everything hinges on the big night - where their friends and some of the local "who's who" muckety-mucks experience Primo's genius. One course after another and with sexual inuendos, those who are feasting moan in delight. As the dessert tray approaches, the bloated guests get ready to undo their pants to stuff themselves even more.

In the end, the big night is truly a big event, but just another night. The real story is the love of these two brothers. They drive each other crazy, but they love one another. Nothing ends up in a neat, tidy little bow in the end - just like real life, Primo and Seco have no idea what tomorrow may bring for them, but they will face it together.

As a DVD, this is pretty underwhelming. The menu looks like it was it was drawn by Stevie Wonder and other than a trailer and an option for subtitles, there are no features worth writing home about. I have a 7-year-old DVD player and still, the DVD looks great on my HDTV, even without progressive scan or up-converting.

I would have liked to have seen interviews with the cast and directors... but as a film, it was a delight to watch.

Good films are unforgettable... and here's one. On the surface it's a quirky little story about two Italian brothers running a restaurant in New Jersey in the 1950's. One is ridiculously passionate about cooking superb food while the other tries to make his brother's passion commercially viable despite the fact that customers don't want what he cooks. Both are up against their more successful Italian neighbour who gives the customers exactly what they want. Not much then... but it's what goes on beneath this deceptively simple tale that makes it so good.

The tense, sincere and often very funny interactions between the two brothers are so believable that they make you really want them to succeed with the "Big Night" on which the future of their restaurant and their relationship depends. Against this background, the preparation of the dishes themselves becomes an all-consuming event, infused with the drama and expectation of a chef in full flight cooking, of necessity, the meal of his life. And, the subtle plot with its inevitable denouement is understated and, as a result, extremely effective.

Brilliantly acted, charming and, in the end, quite moving, "Big Night" is a superbly reflective exploration into the dreams & hopes of two immigrants in an alien world where their values don't apply and where this threatens to destroy the most important relationship they have. Over-hyped on its release and now increasingly forgotten it's an unmissable gem of a film.

It is impossible to overpraise this film. It depicts two Italian immigrant brothers trying to make a go of a small restaurant in the face of heavy competition from another Italian immigrant, wonderfully played by the great Ian Holm, who runs a larger and far more successful bar. Primo, the older brother, is a master chef who refuses to compromise his principles by appealing to what is popular in order to attract a much larger clientele. Secondo, the younger brother, who has been in America somewhat longer than his brother, is the restaurant's manager and must deal with its day to day operations and, more urgently, with impending foreclosure due to financial difficulties. The problems of art vs. commerce causes major conflicts between the two brothers as they prepare for the "big night" which could make or break their business.

This is a film of great warmth, humor, and heart. We root for the brothers while being aware that they are in the troes of a sinking ship. The apex of the movie is the sumptuous, eye-popping meal that Primo creates for the "big night." After seeing this film you're going to want to jump in your car and head for that tiny Italian restaurant to which you have always wanted to go, but was 100 miles away.

When a chef recommends a restaurant you know that it's a good place to eat, and when a chef recommends a food film... Chef John over at Foodwishes.com has this to say about the movie:

"I've probably watched it over 30 times. I consider it the best restaurant movie ever made, and no movie that I've seen before or since has captured the experience of the food business so brilliantly as this one. The film is the story of two Italian brothers who own a restaurant called "Paradise". Primo (played by Tony Shalhoub), is an intense, passionate chef who can't cope with his customers' expectations of "real" (Americanized) Italian food. The other brother, Secondo (played by Stanley Tucci), is the restaurant manager, who is in a constant battle with his brother over the balance between making money, and staying true to their culinary roots.

This is a great movie, even if you are not a "foodie," as its very funny, sweet, sad, and has an amazing sound track of music from that period. Also, any movie with Isabella Rossellini is worth seeing, and try and see if you can identify the busboy who later (in real life) goes on to have quite a successful music career. Anyone thinking of going to culinary school and/or starting a restaurant, should be made to watch this movie first. It gives such a perfect study of the agony and ecstasy of the restaurant experience."

This is the most entertaining film I have seen in recent memory. A brilliant work all around, from the direction to the writing to the cast. Shalhoub and Tucci play off one another as immigrant brothers with incredible chemistry and ease, while Ian Holm gives a deliciously subtle performance as the villainous restauranteur down the street. Like Shalhoub describing Lasagna Bolognese, you can try to watch the mouthwatering dinner scene, but be warned--view it only on a full stomach (preferably Italian cuisine), or you may very well have to kill yourself afterwards. And as if that scene weren't lethal enough, the film's soundtrack too is to die for. Also, relish the final scene of Big Night--a perfect dessert to a five-star, five-course, absolutely delicious meal of a film.

For those who loved this film, check out The Imposters. Written and directed by Stanley Tucci, with much of the same cast as Big Night, it's not as strong as this effort, but it marches to a completely different tune and is a remarkable film in its own right.

Primo (Tony Shaloub) is a traditionalist, a perfectionist, an artist; he is a chef without compromise. His younger brother, Secondo (Stanley Tucci), will compromise, bend, wheel and deal; he is a desperate businessman who cares about food, but is realistic. Unfortunately, their little restaurant is way, way ahead of its time. When their 1950s customers go out for Italian food, they want red-checked tablecloths and lotsa spaghetti and meatballs, not risotto and delicate wine. How can their restaurant stay in business? It can't, but they try to save it with an all-out feast for a famous Italian jazzman. If you're the least bit hungry when you watch this film, you've got trouble, because food has never looked this good. It's a quiet, slow movie, but you get to know Primo and Secondo completely, and you find yourself wishing their restaurant was in your neighborhood so you could go there and give them all your money.

This movie is about a lot of things: uncompromising perfection, the differing notions of success, brotherly rivalry, the American Dream, love (oh yeah, there's lots of shades here) and, of course, food. I don't think a lot of reviewers have overpraised this film. My test of a great movie is while I'm watching it I think of people I know who I'd like to see it with and then I try to make it happen ("C'mon over, I've seen a movie I want you to see with me!). Lots of priceless scenes, both comic and touching. I won't spoil it for anyone but the last scene is a long take that wraps it up perfectly. If you're looking for AMERICAN PIE this ain't it but if you are patient you will be rewarded. A keeper.