Dinner Rush (2000)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

"Dinner Rush" is a 2000 film starring Danny Aiello, Edoardo Ballerini, John Corbett, Polly Draper, Kirk Acevedo, and Sandra Bernhard, directed by Bob Giraldi, and written by Rick Shaughnessy and Brian Kalata.The story concerns a very trendy Soho restaurant owned by Louis Cropa; his son Udo (Ballerini) is the popular chef, who makes nouvelle cuisine with an Italian slant. The place is packed to the rafters every night, though Louis doesn't really approve of these dishes, which are not straight down the line Italian. Udo wants to take over the restaurant but so far, his father is resistant.We learn the history of the place early on -- Louis and his partner were low-level bookies using the restaurant as a front, and when some thugs from Queens wanted a partnership in the restaurant, Louis' partner refused them and is later killed on the street. Louis no longer takes bets and has turned legitimate. However, he can't control Duncan (Acevedo), who works at the restaurant and is a compulsive gambler, now into these same guys for $13,000. On this particular night, the queens thugs come into the restaurant on the invitation of Louis; but he has also invited a police detective (Walt MacPherson) and his wife to be his guests for dinner.What makes this film is the atmosphere, a very typical one for an upscale restaurant with repeat, high profile clientèle. The wait staff is incredibly gracious to some very demanding customers, and there are many perks if you had to wait too long in line or if the boss knows you.The kitchen, however, is like the wild west, with all kinds of screaming and throwing things, and Udo losing his temper. It's all absolutely perfect and really makes you feel as if you're there.The performances are excellent, from Aiello's underplayed, honest performance, to John Corbett relaxing at the bar and talking to a woman there to meet someone who doesn't show, to Ballerini's intense, artistic Udo, proud of his accomplishments, and finally to Aceveda's messed up Duncan, working and trying to listen to a race at the same time, realizing it's another bad bet, and meeting his girlfriend for stolen moments on the fire escape.The end of the film, though I expected some of it, changes the atmosphere drastically in seconds.Truly fantastic film that took me through something I experienced many times while living in New York. Highly recommended.

Wait a minute... Isn't that the Wall Street guy who I just decided was a fuzzy little teddy bear just a few scenes ago? This is a brilliant and very well executed (pun) piece of writing. I came across it accidentally on the late night movie channels and decided even before it was over that it was one of the best movies I never heard of. I love those kinds of surprises. The character development is strong and authentic. You will love the good ones, hate the bad ones and roll your eyes at the obnoxious ones. I care far less about the subject matter of a film than whether it puts me there. I WAS there and enjoyed every minute of it. But most enjoyable of all, if I'm not revealing too much about my vindictive nature, was the retribution. After a well crafted buildup of hatred for this slimy bag of garbage and his brother in law the whole problem is taken care of in a most efficient and totally unexpected manner. And by - of all people... well you'll just have to see it.

This is a really good film that really captures the atmosphere of a kitchen. Maybe because my parents comes from the catering business, or maybe I just have a thing for good food.The story mixes the emotions of the stress of running a restaurant, to a chef who is also a addicted gambler, the owner fending off the Mob and a killer waiting for his prey.The actors are really good and gives the story a real edge to it. Stories within stories with good character building. It's pure delight watching them unfold.I've seen this twice and it gets better after every viewing.

This is really a hidden gem that should have had a major impact at the cinemas everywhere. It truly is a loss to anyone who misses it.The characters are charming, obnoxious, familiar, unexpected and with a great many stereotypes this offers a fascinating mix played out at a weird and wonderful pace that switches easily between relaxed and frantic. The character gallery on its own is reason to see this film but the various tracks of the story offers added value not seen as comfortably intertwined in other films for many years. The stories are steered by an amazing screenplay based on non-stop dialogue that places you right at the centre of affairs, or indeed inside the restaurant where 90% of the film is set.If you enjoy the witty repartee of Smoke or Clerks (although nowhere near as vulgar) then you must see this film.Danny Aiello is brilliant, so are the majority of the not so well known cast and the supporting role of John Corbett offers a new perspective on an otherwise strong stereotype, almost worth the ticket price itself.