Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An order of Sausage and Peppers......per favore, November 5, 2001
I've spent the bulk of my adult life in the food business as a student in cooking school, a chef, in restaurant operations and in food procurement. So I can attest to the accuracy of the crazy, loud cacaphonous milieu that serves, not just as a back drop, but as an active character in Bob Giraldi's "Dinner Rush." Giraldi himself is the owner of the restaurant where this movie was filmed. So he knows of what he speaks. The story itself involves bookmaking, addiction to gambling, murder, art, old style cooking versus nouvelle, the chef as star and old courtly values vs new cavalier ones to name a few things. Danny Aiello is the owner, Louis Cropa his son the chef, Udo (Edoardo Ballerino) at a bustling, newly busy restaurant in Tribeca. Udo has recently "saved" the restaurant from extinction and red sauce and meatballs with his new ideas and recipes...or has he? Aiello, with his raspy, quiet voice and his total command of the screen acts as the voice of reason and experience and it is obvious he longs for the old ways and the old times when his wife ran the restaurant and where he good get a plate of sausage and peppers. Stylistically, "Dinner Rush" is more like "The Godfather" than "Casino," in that, not only was the film shot in beautiful earth tones in middle light (as was "The Godfather") but, the values put forth are more like those of the 40's and 50's than those of the the year 2001. Giraldi seems to be saying: let's return to a time when life was more clear-cut and simple and Italian food meant red gravy and meatballs and you could tell the bad guys by the shoulder holsters,stick pins and two-toned spectator shoes. Danny Aiello dominates the movie but Edoardo Ballerini, Vivian Wu (Nicole) and Kirk Acevedo (Duncan....late of HBO's "Oz") definitely make good impressions. "Dinner Rush" is a call for reason, re-evaluation and a reinstatement of old ways and values....and hey this makes more sense to me every day.
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26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Very Unexpected Surprise (4.5 stars), March 15, 2003
Hard to believe that I have never heard of this movie until I picked it up one night. I like Danny Aiello and I like Mafia type movies. I also like films that revolve mostly around characters and dialogue, as this movie appeared to be just that. So I decided to give it a try. "Dinner Rush" is a highly entertaining film that is both enjoyable and unpredictable.Owner and bookie Louis Cropa is trying to run a legitimate business. He runs a restaurant and takes great pride in it. However, things get out of hand after his partner is murdered and his chef's gambling problem attracts some unfriendly gangsters to the restaurant. Not to mention that Cropa's son is giving him an attitude, being that he's the head chef and he thinks that he can run the place alone just fine. One thing is for sure, this New York's busy restaurant is the set-up for one wild and unpredictable night to remember. I was very impressed by this film, being that I wasn't sure what to expect. The acting was great by everyone, the movie was shot and done very well, and the story was engaging from start to finish. It is very hard to have a film rely heavily on only characters and dialogue, but this film does it almost perfectly. I guess my only complaint is that it's a bit short and I think there could've been more outrageous things going on, since there are so many characters around and different opportunities at every corner. Still, I was overall very pleased with it all. The DVD really doesn't have much to offer, being that it's not a very big budget film. It's probably also due to the fact that not many people know this film even exists. The picture and sound quality was really good. Special features included are: both widescreen and fullscreen formats, Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, and a theatrical trailer. There's also DVD-Rom content, but that I have not tried out. I did enjoy the trailer though; not too revealing, but at the same time wets your appetite. "Dinner Rush" is a complete joy to watch. Like I said, I love it when movies revolve around characters and dialogue rather than on a complex plot. If you're looking for a movie with a simple plot, unpredictable situations, and outrageous characters, this might be the perfect choice for you.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved this movie, October 13, 2001
As a person who loves food, restaurants in Manhattan and Danny Aielleo, I think I loved this movie before I even saw it. But now that I've seen it I can't stop recommending it to every body I know. I loved this movie, the writing, performances, characters and of course, the wonderful recipes created by the kitchen staff.One can't help but realize how food has changed in the last 20 odd years and perhaps nowhere as much as the New York restaurant scene. Where once diners were afforded large home made food, today we are afforded smaller portions wonderfully presented with moutwatering tastes. We eat from a myriad of spices, tastes and countries. Everything is prepared with thought and passion and presentation is the key word. And it is Dinner Rush which presents to its viewers the old world of restaurants with mom and pop cooking in the back to today's world of tempermental chefs, sous chefs, matire d's, waiting in line and begging for a reservation. Dining today has become a palate of wonderful foods and memorable experiences. As one of the characters played by John Corbett says, "When did eating become a Broadway production?" But lest you think that Dinner Rush is only set in a restaurant and kitchen, which it is, the restaurant is so much more and sets the stage for a microcosm of all sorts of people living their lives with all sorts of challenges. From Danny Aiello, the original owner of this restaurant (owned by the director Bob Giraldi) who wonders what happened to spaghetti and meatballs on the menu, to his son, the highly educated chef with his own ideas to the sous chef addicted to betting and finally to the two underworld gentlemen who occupy seats during one night, this movie is a banquet for the eyes ear and nose. It is as if one is tasting the food through the words of all of these fine actors. Not since Big Night with Stanley Tucci, have I enjoyed a movie about food and restaurants as much as I did the night I saw Dinner Rush. And now you'll have to excuse me as I head out to a favorite Italtian restaurant. Just writing this review has made me hungry. Come to think of it, perhaps I'll see this movie again tonight I enjoyed it so much.
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