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Dinner Rush (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:44
Fresh:40
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: With the aid of a witty script and a well-acted ensemble, Dinner Rush is a tasty dish.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some violence and sexuality
Runtime: 1 hr 39 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Sep 28, 2001 Limited
Synopsis: Bob Giraldi, award-winning director of commercials and music videos (Michael Jackson's "Beat It"), uses his own restaurant--Gigino's Trattoria--as the starting point for his debut feature, DINNER... Bob Giraldi, award-winning director of commercials and music videos (Michael Jackson's "Beat It"), uses his own restaurant--Gigino's Trattoria--as the starting point for his debut feature, DINNER RUSH. The film is about one lively night at a trendy restaurant in the TriBeCa area of New York City. Louis (Danny Aiello) is an aging bookie and restauranter who's bemoaning the transformation of Gigino's from a down-to-earth, mom-and-pop Italian eatery to a pretentious, see-and-be-seen establishment. Louis's talented son, Udo (Edoardo Ballerini), is an ambitious star chef who wants to take over the restaurant because he claims his food and his style are responsible for the success of the business. To make matters worse, Louis is confronted by a pair of thugs known as Black and Blue who murdered his partner and now want to take over his place. Mark Margolis is hilarious as the droll art critic and nightmare customer, Fitzgerald. Summer Phoenix plays a smart-talking waitress. And topping off the colorful cast is Sandra Bernhard who plays a snotty food critic. [More]
Starring: Danny Aiello, Edoardo Ballerini, Vivian Wu, Sandra Bernhard
Starring: Danny Aiello, Edoardo Ballerini, Vivian Wu, Sandra Bernhard, Mike McGlone, Summer Phoenix
Director: Bob Giraldi
Director: Bob Giraldi
Screenwriter: Brian Kalata, Rick Shaughnessy
Producer: Lou DiGiaimo, Patti Greaney
Composer: Alexander Lasarenko
Studio: Access Motion Picture Group
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Reviews for Dinner Rush
Set in a downtown restaurant, this is a small, well-acted (particularly by Danny Aiello) quintessentially New York film that recalls indie movies of the 1980s.
Shares the heady, dizzying atmosphere that turns great meals into memorable events.
A genre film, but it tries to tell a story from a different angle — not through tough guys and excessive violence but through a character-driven drama with several different perspectives.
This is an unusually patient and composed feature – it's solidly scripted, it knows where it's going and arrives there with a minimum of fuss.
Fiery energy, swift, character-driven chitchat and a tough, upbeat sense of how the world works.
The conflict between the 'sausages and peppers' father and his 'lobster in shallot, champagne and vanilla bean sauce' son is just one of many juicy threads running through this Altman-esque banquet.
'…beautifully captures the spirit and pace of a popular, bustling eating-house.'
Aiello is perfect as the low-key Louis, and there is not a weak link in his entire supporting cast.
A movie of rich specifics and stylistic creativity that clearly comes from the heart
There are enough plots here to challenge a Robert Altman, specialist in interlocking stories, but the director, Bob Giraldi, masters the complexities as if he knows the territory.
Not knowing its story is Dinner Rush's biggest failing--and frankly for as bad as that is, it could've been worse.
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| 19% 19% | Transformers: Revenge … |
| 55% 55% | Orphan |
| 43% 43% | The Proposal |
| 26% 26% | Land of the Lost |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 88% 88% | Ballast |
| 67% 67% | The Merry Gentleman |
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