Scenes from an Italian Restaurant
For one reason or another, there are a handful of recent-ish films with strong critical and commercial fanbases that I end up disliking; these films include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind; Being John Malkovich; Reservoir Dogs; Fight Club; The Hours; Secretary; Closer; My Big Fat Greek Wedding. At one point or another, I’ve considered that millions of fans can’t be wrong, and decided there must be something wrong with me. I mean, I’m not the type of person who will dislike something just because it’s popular, but I’m also not a viewer who enjoys something just because society tells me I should. In a lot of cases, perhaps I waited too long to see the film and my expectations become astronomically high, ultimately rendering the film less enjoyable than it really is.
One such film is Big Night.
I recall wanting to see this 1996 indie upon its release, but never got around to it until just now, after discussing it with friends who loved it. I generally enjoy anything that Campbell Scott works on, and with a co-directing team of Scott and the always-competent Stanley Tucci, I predicted Big Night would surely become one of my favorites.
The film’s minimalist storyline focuses on two immigrant brothers whose New Jersey shore Italian restaurant is failing. When Pascal (Ian Holm), a sympathetic rival restaurateur offers to arrange a dinner for his friend — Louis Prima — to help the flagging business, the practical, business-oriented, New World Secondo (Tucci) jumps at the chance, and attempts to convince his stubborn, idealistic, Old World brother Primo (Tony Shalhoub), who equates good food with being close to God, to help make the “big night” a success, in order to save their business.
SPOILER: Predictably, Louis Prima never shows. The “big night” is all part of Pascal’s ruse to remind Primo and Secondo of their uncompromising ideals. But this reasoning is faulty; anyone who owns a business knows that profit IS important. Of course, no one wants to be labeled a sell-out. But as one of my professors used to say, You can’t pay the rent with idealism. Primo’s emphasis on impeccability is established in an early scene in which a finicky patron expresses disdain for his authentically Italian cuisine; but why he is apprehensive to prepare for Prima? After all, no one instructed him to alter his cuisine for Prima, and when the diners finally do sit down for the meal — sans Prima — they are perfectly content with the authentic meal.
I was surprised not only to see that Marc Anthony — who I mostly associate with being Jennifer Lopez’s husband — stars in the film, but he also plays an important role — the restaurant’s “help.” It’s interesting to see the failing restaurateurs contrasted with Cristiano, who we assume is also an immigrant. The film opens with a poetic shot of Cristiano, and Anthony is also top-billed in the credits. However, the film’s female characters, played by Minnie Driver, Isabella Rossellini, and Allison Janney, are utterly wasted, used more or less as props and, regretably, all three of their storylines are practically unresolved.
The film does have a message, albeit not a groundbreaking one — don’t sacrifice family values or culinary authenticity for profit — and the period setting and attention to detail are impressive. The portrayal of food preparation is loving, the ups and downs of owning a restaurant are realistic, the soundtrack perfectly complements the onscreen action, and the camerawork and editing are excellent. The film’s closing shot, of Primo and Secondo quietly sharing an omelette the morning after the big night, is poignant.
By the film’s end, I didn’t necessarily dislike the film; but felt more or less apathetic. To be even more innocuous…I just didn’t like it as much as I thought I would, and I can’t quite figure out why. I’m interested to read your thoughts on the film.