Product Details

• Actors: Aasif Mandvi, Jess Weixler, Harish Patel, Madhur Jaffrey, Naseeruddin Shah
• Directors: David Kaplan
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: New Video Group
• DVD Release Date: January 24, 2012
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004K4FUQQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,506 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Directed with verve by David Kaplan from Aasif Mandvi and Jonathan Bines exceptional screenplay, TODAY'S SPECIAL stars Mandvi as a sous-chef at a Manhattan restaurant whose plans to head to Paris for further culinary study are derailed after his father suffers a heart attack and he must take over the family restaurant in Queens.

Imaginative, warm and witty, the film, inspired by Mandvi's prize-winning play Sakina's Restaurant, is an irresistible delight, its theatrical roots vanishing amid a gracefully cinematic evocation of life in Jackson Heights, a venerable Queens neighborhood with an inviting human scale and grand rooftop vistas of the New York skyline. It is alive with a screen full of captivating characters, all written with affection and exquisitely played by a raft of fine actors.

TODAY'S SPECIAL is a gem of wide appeal, richly deserving of finding an audience. --Los Angeles Times

Aasif Mandvi [has] cooked up a feel-good fable about a talented cook and second-generation Indian, who discovers his destiny and own version of the American Dream when he takes over his father's run-down Tandoori Palace restaurant. While it tracks familiar themes of generational clashes in immigrant families, upward mobility and Old World vs. New World values, Today's Special does so with vigor and a pleasing sense of comedy. Not hurting matters for foreign and Indian film devotees, the film features two icons of Indian cinema, Madhur Jaffrey and Naseeruddin Shah. --New York Daily News

The film, like a great meal, leaves you wanting more. --Hollywood Reporter

Aasif Mandvi [has] cooked up a feel-good fable about a talented cook and second-generation Indian, who discovers his destiny and own version of the American Dream when he takes over his father s run-down Tandoori Palace restaurant. While it tracks familiar themes of generational clashes in immigrant families, upward mobility and Old World vs. New World values, Today s Special does so with vigor and a pleasing sense of comedy. Not hurting matters for foreign and Indian film devotees, the film features two icons of Indian cinema, Madhur Jaffrey and Naseeruddin Shah. --New York Daily News

The film, like a great meal, leaves you wanting more. --Hollywood Reporter

Product Description

Product Description

TODAY'S SPECIAL, a heartwarming comedy with culinary flavor, tells the story of Samir (Aasif Mandvi, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Proposal), a sous chef who dreams of becoming the head chef at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. When he is passed over for a promotion, he impulsively quits and tells his co-worker Carrie (Jess Weixler, Teeth) that he intends to go to Paris and apprentice under a master French chef. But dreams must be put aside after his estranged father, Hakim (Harish Patel, Run, Fat Boy, Run), has a heart attack and Samir is forced to take over Tandoori Palace, the nearly bankrupt family restaurant in Jackson Heights. Samir's mother, Farrida (legendary cookbook writer Madhur Jaffrey), is consumed with trying to find a wife for her son, while Samir is trying to master Indian cooking to salvage the family business. Luckily, he crosses paths with Akbar (Naseeruddin Shah, Monsoon Wedding), a taxi driver, passionate chef and worldly raconteur. Akbar inspires Samir and teaches him to trust his senses more than recipes; to stop measuring his life, and to start truly living it. With Akbar's guidance, Samir has a chance to rediscover his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food.

Special Features

• Deleted Scenes
• Cooking Video
• Interview With the Writers
• Recipe from Madhur Jaffrey

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming Indie film February 1, 2011

By L. Miller

Format:DVD

This movie was an unexpected charmer! It's the story of a second generation east Indian sous chef, whose mother keeps trying to arrange a marriage for him. He expects to get a promotion as Executive chef of his own restaurant. But they tell him he doesn't have the passion they're looking for. So he quits, and decides to go to Paris to study under a master. Then his immigrant father, whose ethnic restaurant is failing, has a heart attack. Our disgruntled hero, whose knowledge of the cuisine of his heritage is limited, is forced to ask for help from a cab driver who claims to have superb cooking skills. In the mix is a girl from the restaurant from which he resigned, and the characters who hang out at his father's restaurant. I loved the heart and soul of this movie. I'm a life coach, and there were some very believable and tender moments. Yes, the plot was a bit predictable, but the humanity of the characters and their interrelationships drew me in. If you're tired of some of Hollywood's overly self-conscious attempts to be "relevant," give this one a try. It's a "little movie that could."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lightweight Crowd Pleaser About Food, Family, And Friends January 14, 2012

By K. Harris HALL OF FAMETOP 10 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

The genial and engaging "Today's Special" may not hold many surprises, but it has an irresistible charm that is guaranteed to ensure its status as a crowd pleasing favorite. It's a gentle and, dare I say, sweet comedy about searching for success but finding contentment instead in the most unlikely of places. At the end of the day, I may have wished the film had taken a road less traveled--but it's all so big-hearted, why bother quibbling? The film celebrates good food, good friends, good family, good times and throws in a bit of romance for good measure. That's a lot of good in this genuinely appealing movie.

Co-writer Aasif Mandvi (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) stars as a jaded New York chef who's looking to take the next big advance in the culinary world. When by-passed for an expected promotion, Mandvi starts to reconfigure his career and plans to take dramatic steps to meet his ambitions. His meddlesome parents don't seem to understand him and, in return, he holds the family's Indian restaurant in disdain. Through the magic of movie plotting, Mandvi (of course) finds himself temporarily in charge of the dilapidated venue. With the help of an "only in the movies" wizened cab driver/cook/mentor figure, he starts to appreciate the art of Indian food. Can he transform the restaurant? And, in the process, will it transform him? If you've ever seen a movie, I suspect you can guess the answer to these questions. And yet, the picture still works mostly due to its likable cast and underdog appeal.

"Today's Special" capitalizes on the quirky allure that so many films employ today.... Every single character within the supporting cast (with the exception of love interest Jess Weixler) has a wacky side, but there is an undercurrent of truth and believability to the characters that still allows you to care for their story. I certainly liked "Today's Special" and anticipate that it will be universally beloved for its sweet natured comedy. It is lightweight, to be sure, but never less than enjoyable. KGHarris, 1/12. Read more ›

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Bland, predictable, and utterly forgettable May 7, 2012

By J. C Clark VINE™ VOICE

Format:Amazon Instant Video

Good actors and great sets cannot salvage a lame little story filled with Hollywood clichés. I'm not sure I've ever seen a film with so many of the hoary old set-pieces: generational conflict, angst and exasperation caused by the old-school immigrant parents, stressed young man hitting a career wall, cross cultural love, follow your heart, don't give up, and, the worst of all, the mysterious stranger with the solutions to all of life's problems, who blows into town, teaches the kids to dance or the adults to be tolerant, and then disappears, leaving his words of wisdom behind among the forever-changed acolytes.

Not a bad film, no, not at all. But one done many times before, without anything to distinguish it from its innumerable predecessors. (And the notion that non-cooks can be brought into a kitchen and resolve a chaotic world is pretty silly.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Honest Look Into The Mirror February 10, 2012

By MadMacs

Format:DVD

Samir is a self-assured, accomplished and extremely diligent sous chef. His hard work has earned him a position as second-in-command at a high profile eatery. And, having paid his dues the past six years, he expects to be tapped to head his boss' latest expansion restaurant. He's so secure in that knowledge that, when it's announced through a trade publication that a junior chef that he oversees will be given the prestigious position, he is utterly dumbstruck.

Angry, confused and frothing - he demands an explanation. The top chef explains to him that he's competent, efficient, and very much an excellent lieutenant, but he just doesn't have what it takes to be a head chef. The boss hesitates giving him a full and honest critique until he's pushed into a corner and relents. He tells Samir that, in his opinion, he lacks the verve, the passion, and the simple love of cooking.

Stunned and emotionally devastated - he quits. Deciding he needs to make a big move, both physically and professionally, he puts out feelers to hire on as a Parisian 'stodge' (stàge), essentially an unpaid intern; working for free to understudy with a French master in the belief that he will prove them all wrong.

At the very moment he makes that decision - his father, a restauranteur himself, suffers a heart attack.

It's not life-threatening, but it is life-changing. What Samir doesn't realize is that it's his life that will change the most.

Having had to postpone his plans until his dad can recover, he's now in charge of the family business. It's a rundown hole-in-the-wall serving Indian cruisine. Ironically, having spent his entire life avoiding and denying his own cultural heritage, it's something he can't cook.... In part, because he craves acceptance at the highest level of the culinary world - and that generally means mastering French cuisine. And, quietly, a stab into the hearts of his parents who he feels reveres his dead brother over himself. It's wrong, and the film clearly shows that his parents love him as he is; but that unspoken insecurity has driven deep into his being.

'Today' is a wonderful journey of self-discovery. One which forces an honest look into the mirror and seriously questioning the person who stares back.

Slowly, Samir realizes that his former boss pegged him correctly after all. He's technically perfect but lacks, much to his dismay, a heart. He's filled his life with so much untouched emotional baggage that he's lost touch with his very soul, and that has crowded out the very thing he's so passionate about: Cooking.

Can a chance encounter with a mysterious and wondrous cab driver change his outlook? And ultimately, what does he discover at the bottom of his own Masala bowl?

Not only a film about hubris, comeuppance, humility and spiritual recovery; but also tells the tale of a wayward son that returns "home" - both emotionally and culturally.

An enjoyable and funny, if boilerplate, movie.

Personal Notes:

- All the players did an outstanding job in the film, but I was struck by Naseeruddin Shah, who played Akbar the taxi driver. His performance, which blended sublime, humorous and deeply touching was the 'wow' factor for me. A top shelf actor. I truly hope to see more of the man's work as he's found a new fan.

- And finally I would be remiss not to mention Ajay Naidu who played the completely disgusting arrogant spittle-filled cook. Holy smokes, that guy is freakin' hilarious! Had me laughing every moment he was on screen. If there were a Best Performance Which Makes You Want To Never Go Into A Eatery award - this character would be the hands down winner. Read more ›