Big Night
Stanley Tucci co-wrote this movie, because he wanted a decent part for himself.,In the final scene of the "big night" dinner the wine bottles across the table and in the kitchen with Secondo all have the trademark pink DOCG label on the bottle stem. The DOCG pink label was released in Italy only in the 1990s; the movie is set in the 1950s.,Primo: To eat good food is to be close to God.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: The First Wives Club/Big Night/Surviving Picasso/Last Man Standing/Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996),Stornelli Amorosi
Written by Ovidio Sarra (as Sarra) and Astro Mari
Performed by Claudio Villa,The story seems simple at first sight: an Italian restaurant is going under in debt. 2 Italian brothers excell at cooking, but are disastrous at selling their delicous food to the customers, who arent interested in culinary exotics. The further we stroll into the story however, the more we realise as viewers that this movie is more about the love and hate for family bonds. And cooking for your family is equal to showing your love.

There is a natural laid back rythm to this story, that is very mesmirizing. Some of the best moments are those in which nothing is said, when we only see 2 brothers eating and cooking together, in complete silence, symbolising their unspoken love for each other. That is a definite sign of great craftmanship, because there are very few directors who master this kind of story telling without using words.

The end credits mention special thanks to director Robert Altman. That credit goes to show that this movie is a bit more then just an amusing portrait about Italian family bonds. "Big Night" is a director's gem!,