Each year it seems, the members of the Academy inexplicably snub at least one film that seemed to be an Oscar shoo-in. This year, it was this sleeper hit about two Italian immigrant brothers sweating the details of a feast that could make or break their struggling restaurant. Our compliments to the chef, character actor Stanley Tucci, who co-wrote, directed and stars. Tony Shalhoub (of TV's Wings) is superb as the uncompromising culinary artist who rails against customers who dare to order a side of spaghetti with risotto. Ian Holm makes a meal of his scenes as the rival who advises, "You've got to take a bite out of the ass of life," while Isabella Rossellini and Minnie Driver are wonderful side dishes. Highly recommended. (K. Lee Benson)
Big Night
(Columbia TriStar, 109 min., R, avail. Apr. 22) Vol. 12, Issue 2
Big Night
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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