Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never Seen - Maltin, Leonard [20]
First and foremost, he believes in simplicity. He explained that he lives in fear of boring an audience, so in recent years he has streamlined his plots to revolve around one main character and has jettisoned any subplots that might seem extraneous.
He also believes the old axiom that brevity is the soul of wit. The Dinner Game runs a mere eighty minutes, while Tais-Tois is eighty-five, and The Valet is also just under an hour and a half. I doubt that anyone leaves the theater feeling shortchanged. (Veber said his script supervisor estimates that these films will run longer, but he tells his actors to hurry!) Universal Pictures thought enough of the film to acquire U.S. distribution rights, but gave it only a halfhearted release. The remake rights were purchased by a Hollywood studio and numerous scripts were generated over a decade’s time as various contributors insisted on “opening it up!” It finally went into production as Dinner for Shmucks, with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in the leading roles, in 2009.
The Dinner Game (Le Dîner de cons in its original language) was nominated for six César Awards, France’s equivalent of the Oscar, and won three, for Best Actor (Jacques Villeret), Best Supporting Actor (Daniel Prévost), and Best Writing (Veber).
To get the most out of this film I would urge you to watch it with friends, to create the feeling of an audience; the trigger effect of laughter will be your reward.
26. DINNER RUSH
(2001)
Directed by Bob Giraldi
Screenplay by Rick Shaughnessy and Brian S. Kalata
Actors:
DANNY AIELLO
EDOARDO BALLERINI
VIVIAN WU
MIKE MCGLONE
KIRK ACEVEDO
JOHN CORBETT
SANDRA BERNHARD
SUMMER PHOENIX
POLLY DRAPER
MARK MARGOLIS
AJAY NAIDU
JAMIE HARRIS
Television offers a full menu of restaurant reality shows, but I prefer watching movies like Dinner Rush that combine a love of food, a peek behind the scenes of a busy restaurant, and a healthy dose of New York flavor. It shouldn’t come as a great surprise that the man who made it also owns an Italian restaurant in Manhattan.
The movie unfolds during one exceptionally eventful night at the eatery run by that quintessential Italian-American New Yorker, Danny Aiello. The restaurant is his pride and joy. Sure, he runs numbers on the side, but that’s just business. He hopes to turn the neighborhood bistro over to his son, who (to his father’s dismay) has no use for traditional Italian dishes. That’s one headache; another is caused by two tough-looking guys who show up and insist on muscling into co-ownership of the place.
Aiello isn’t the only one who’s having a busy night. There’s drama to spare in the kitchen, where the sous-chef is in hot water with his bookie. Out front, the servers have their hands full with a rude, imperious customer (and would-be trendsetter), played by Mark Margolis, and a venomous food critic (who’s also been sleeping with the chef) played by Sandra Bernhard.
There are enough plot threads to fill a miniseries. Some are more believable than others, just as some of the film’s images are overly self-conscious, but the diverse ingredients ultimately mesh as the evening progresses. The atmosphere rings true, inside the kitchen and out front, and that’s crucial to the picture’s success, while Aiello brings warmth and honesty to his character.
This film was a labor of love for director Bob Giraldi, who’s made a reported 2,500 television commercials and such memorable music videos as Michael Jackson’s “Beat It.” He’s also a New York City restaurateur. He willed this movie into existence and shot it in three weeks. Dinner Rush barely got a theatrical release, but everyone I know who’s seen it has enjoyed it. Why not cook up some pasta, rent the DVD, and make a night of it?
27. THE DISH
(2000)
Directed by Rob Sitch
Screenplay by Santo Cilauro,