Spotlight

Spotlight Date: 2-March-03
Spoiler Rating: Medium

Big Night (1996)

I am always surprised to realize (and re-realize) how many people have never seen or even heard of "Big Night," a tasty little gem and one of the best movies of the 1990s. Maybe because it was a critical darling, or because for almost a year after its release a restaurant in my town had "Big Night Mondays," I tend to assume that everybody who watches movies regularly is clued into it. But this is not so; and therefore I take up my pen (or keyboard, rather) to sing its praises for all to hear. "Big Night" is an example of what happens when the ingredients of a good movie are perfectly blended and expertly served: a quart of drama, a cup of humor, a dash of romance, a pinch of fancy camera work, a pound of great acting, zest of a swinging soundtrack . . . and a centerpiece which, once seen, will never be forgotten.

The movie revolves around two Italian brothers who have immigrated to New Jersey in the 1950s and opened a restaurant in pursuit of the American dream. The older, Primo (Tony Shalhoub), is a shy but passionate artist for whom the creation of exquisite food is the meaning of life. (Indeed, his only other interest is the widow who owns the neighborhood flower shop, played by Allison Janney.) The younger, Secondo (Stanley Tucci), is a man who wants it all: to preserve the old ways represented by his brother while at the same time carving out a slice of the American pie, including money, sex, nice clothes, a big Cadillac, and a swagger to match. (Not to mention a loving, pretty, infinitely tolerant girlfriend who will make the perfect wife someday, played by Minnie Driver.) As the painfully comic opening scene reveals, however, the good folks of New Jersey aren't ready for real Italian cuisine; risotto makes no sense to them, especially when it doesn't come with a side of spaghetti and meatballs. So the brothers' lovely little trattoria goes empty night after night, while across the street their rival and fellow countryman, Pascal (Ian Holm), presides over a restaurant packed to the gills.

Pascal's "secret" is that he gives the people what they want: not only spaghetti and meatballs, but steak, lounge singers, neon lights, and his own fawning attention as host, in which duty he is joined by his wife, Gabriella (Isabella Rossellini). He is the opposite of everything that Primo stands for, and yet he is the brothers' only hope — their money has run out, and the bank will foreclose in a month. Without sharing the critical nature of their situation with Primo, Secondo asks Pascal for a loan and receives instead a different kind of offer: Pascal will arrange to have the famous (real-life) jazz star Louis Prima stop by the brothers' restaurant for dinner, thereby jump starting its popularity. In this way, the big night of the title is set in motion.

The movie's tag line states, "In love and life, one big night can change everything," and indeed this proves to be true. The dinner party at the heart of "Big Night" is a sensuous, enveloping, climactic experience that appeals to all of the most delicious senses and emotions, and yet it doesn't feel stagey. Instead, it evokes the kind of once-in-a-lifetime occasion that becomes the stuff of fondest memory and nostalgia to which, I hope, most people can relate on some level. To dazzle Louis Prima and the lucky guests who come to see him, Primo and the others pull out all the stops, creating delicacies ranging from zuppa to seafood, sautéed vegetables to roast pig, the maligned risotto to legendary timpano. In addition to the feast, the night-long party features music, dancing, games, laughter, and booze, as well as the blossoming of new love, a few secrets revealed, and a few hearts broken. It reads like excess, but it plays like a symphony — such is the power of a well written script and the affectionate and honest attention of artists fully wrapped up in the story they are telling.

"Big Night" was a labor of love, and it shows. Tucci and Campbell Scott, who plays one of the dinner guests, co-produced and co-directed the film, and the strength and continuity of their vision is apparent. (Tucci also co-wrote with Joseph Tropiano.) This is a little movie about big things: love and food, identity and ambition, loyalty and family ties. Satisfying from soup to nuts, all lovers of good movies (and good food) should sample it.

Copyright © 2003 The Jujube (M. I. Kim). All rights reserved.