Why does every ethnic movie have to be so stereotypical? You have the tough, old, street-wise, Italian restaurant owner who's paid his dues, the young, hard-nosed restaurant chef who thinks he is nothing short of god, the insulting restaurant customer who demands special treatment because he's waited 45 minutes, the young mob thugs who only know how to eat, curse and threaten, the bartender who knows every bit of trivia on the planet, the handsome guy sitting at the bar, the young gay maitre'de, the young waiters/waitresses with insecurity issues, etc. Nothing much going on in this movie, just the workings one night in a restaurant. Camera goes back and forth to the owner, the kitchen, the irate customer, the restaurant critic, the mob thugs, the bartender and back again and again without a great deal happening: the director is trying to create the feeling in the restaurant by clogging your head. We get the point. I thought something good was going to happen when a restaurant critic (Sandra Bernhardt) walked in and sat down and the chef had to shift into high gear, but Sandra just sat there and slopped her food up and didn't say much. One of the chefs is a gambler and has to listen to the game as he cooks. Right away you can see what is going to happen. He loses all his money and flips out. Original. There are some attempts to create tension and suspense but they fall short. One of the cooks sneaks outside for a break with one of the girl tablesitters and they decide to have sex with their clothes on up against a wall in sub-freezing temperatures. Boring. Nothing in this movie will grab you. Albeit, Danny Aiello is one of my favorite actors and he does a good job here.
Review of Dinner Rush
