Big Night -- What Makes This Movie Great? (Episode 8)
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- Опубликовано: 10 фев 2020
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It's time to eat! In this episode of my "What Makes This Movie Great?" series, I briefly examine the 1996 movie "Big Night," starring Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub and directed by Tucci and Campbell Scott.
This complex movie depicts two Italian brothers who have opened a restaurant in New Jersey in the 1950s. Their restaurant is failing, so they ask another Italian restaurant owner for help. He agrees to give them a famous customer, and so the two brothers spend the movie preparing for their "big night".
The movie is intricately constructed, just like the food it displays, with rich characters whose conflicts include whether to entertain Americans or serve them great food they've never heard of. And also, whether they should emigrate back to Italy or stay in the U.S.
"Big Night" is a good movie that's on my list of movies that most people will like. It also rewards multiple viewings.
See joshmatthews.org for more great movie criticism. 
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That final scene, no dialog, yet says SO much... brilliant...
Love love love this film. Every actor is top-shelf with fantastic performances. This was my first experience with Shaloub, before he became more a household name. Watching him in this, you would swear he was just some Italian chef they hired to play this part. I cannot love this film enough.
thank you. yes, it's a once-a-year movie. Meaning that watching it once a year is well deserved. few movies are that.
I was kinda watching Stanley Tucci cruising Italy on CNN, and then I switched channels and then I landed on a channel that was playing a movie where Stanley Tucci plays an Italian restaurant owner. I don't believe in coincidences, but I do believe in heavenly spaghetti together with the magic of risotto and meatballs !!!
The film and what it embodies is well and truly inspirational. The cuisine in our household is mainly Italian/Mediterranean along with some German from my family's heritage. My paternal grandfather was a gifted butcher/sausage maker in Berlin and later in America.. In 1998 we did a "Big Night" at our home. I had never cooked for fifteen people let alone a properly Italian meal-structured affair. Antipasto, Primo, Secondo/Contorno, Dolce! We carefully shopped for days. Only the very best ingredients would do. The actual preparations started on the Wednesday before the Saturday night affair. A restauranteur owner/dear friend actually booked off his busy Saturday evening so he could lend an experienced hand and cool mind in the kitchen. The Antipasto was selected Italian sliced meats and cheeses. The Talleggio cheese was seductive. Chewy, crusty lovely Italian bread was ever-present throughout. At the table, the Primo was cheese ravioli with a simple fresh home made tomato sauce followed by a classic Vitello (Veal) Tonnato. A small dish of lemon ice (purchased) cleansed the palate. The Secondo/Contorno was from Lombardy, Veal Osso Bucco paired with Risotto alla Milanese and seasoned green beans. Dolce was Mocha Crema Caramela (a coffee flavored flan). Coffee. Fueled by much wine and great guests, the converstion and endless laughter lasted late into the night and early hours. Among the guests were two couples both with deep strong Italian roots. One readily accepted and added: "May I bring my accordion?" I replied, "You need an answer?". He did and it was huge well-received gift. The other young couple were born in the old country and came to Canada to raise a family and make a new start with new opportunities. In the Autumn they make heir own superb wine, from family-crushed grapes. Vincenzo is an expert tile tradesman. Ida taught Italian language and cuisine at the secondary school level. Ida remarked that no one had ever invited them into their home and cooked Italian for them. She was seated to my left that evening. At some point, with the meal well underway, Ida leaned over and said, sotto voce, "This is as good as family". I keep this endearing comment with me and respect it for the unique treasure it is. Ciao bella!
thank you, great comment!
This movie reminds me of my teenage years and working for a movie theater. I truly thought it would of been a boring movie. But one night while closing the theater I watched it and thought it was amazing!! The breakfast part is my favorite scene 😋
Thanks for the review. I can't wait to watch this! Can't believe we hadn't heard of it before.
given your comment on the Waiting for Guffman video, I am confident you will like this movie.
I love this movie and have watched it over and over. It is rich on so many levels. I watch it every now and then and will continue to do so. It's like coming home.
Ian Holm has one of the best performed lines in the movie. When he's playing the piano after the dinner, he says in a rather somber tone, "I used to play." That one brief line, delivered as it was, told me everything I needed to know about Pascal.
now he just hires his performers...
Yeah the writing is so good, you know that the characters have depth, or at least give a great illusion of that. Same goes for Phyllis, which seems to be hiding a pregnancy from some other guy, the car seller which is too eager to sell that thing to anyone probably to get rid of it and avoid repeating what happened to his hand or even worse, Pascal an immigrant with crushed dreams that is now turning into a self-styled mafioso of sorts, his "wife" which doesn't seem to want to live the life any longer. Just great writing and great acting.
This is one of my favorite movies! Awesome! Thank you for sharing.😊
excellent. great taste!
Among the many unresolved questions is the story of the young man who sticks with the two brothers through thick and thin. Is he a relative? How can he be getting by, financially, working at a restaurant that cannot be paying him very much? Exiting after breakfast, where does he go at the end of the film? He gets virtually no praise nor recognition, yet without behind-the-scenes workers no restaurant can survive.
My favourite movie…thanks for this review!!!
really? I haven't met anybody who said that, but it is a delightful movie that I try to show in classes. Thanks for commenting.
@@LearningaboutMovies Big Night is such a great movie to illustrate issues of immigration, culture transitions, values, and like you say art vs commercialism. For me it was about brothers. My 2 sons were about the age of Tucci and Shalhoub at that time, and at odds with each other over anything and everything. As a mother it was good to see 2 other young men with their values threatening their loyalty to each other. I also loved the music…and what a cast! I'm moderating a senior's class on movies at McGill University in Montreal this semester, so I really appreciate your movie reviews. Thanks!
@@balgrantango460 thanks. great comment. the movie also has that wonderful image of the ocean as a place of cleansing and washing, but also of primal instincts and rage. I love the silent waiter character of Cristiano as well. He's always present but watching, learning, helping, and he's kind of part of a trio, with the brothers. Have fun in your class!
Great, great, review of this film. It's still one of my favourite movies. It's so layered and textured, the acting and the writing is absolutely top notch.
thank you very much.
Such a brilliant film. You nailed it on the character study. It's awesome to watch over again. Stellar cast, fabulous food, glamorous period setting and costumes with a fun soundtrack. I read that the cast are good friends of Tucci and they pulled together on a modest budget to make this iconic film. This movie got me listening to Louie Prima. A young Marc Anthony in a very quiet sweet role. Allison Janney, Isabella Rosellini who are delightful.
thank you
My opinion might not mean much, but I think this might be a perfect movie, my all time favorite.
Never heard of this movie. Im definitely gonna check this out❤❤❤
I don't know anyone who wouldn't like it.
It's simply a great movie, got me totally by surprise to be honest as it's not my style, but it's just one of the best, it's comedy but at the same time it's very much true to life, in a dramatic fashion of course but given their circumstances it's believable. Simply great acting and chemistry, maybe the camerawork could have been better but that's it. The party is great, the actors look like they are having a ball and if they weren't and it was just that good of an act I would be surprised, not saying the acting itself isn't great, but it feels real and heart warming. It's hard to express why a movie like this is so good, to be honest. Even the story has more to it than it may seem at first, but as the movie doesn't focus on other characters that much some things are left in the air, "sottinteso".
A favorite of mine
One of the best movies ever!
thank you.
I recently watched this movie and I loved it. It’s definitely in the classic style that I love. One of my favorite movies is Sunset Boulevard and this movie is up there.
you watch this movie and you ask yourself why can't they make one of these a month? It must be harder than it looks.
@@LearningaboutMovies
Back then the biggest expense was the actors. Not FX. I do enjoy these movies.
Watched this last night for the first time. My wife was full of questions after…did the brothers work it out? Did they go back to Italy, stay in America or part ways? The end leaves this unresolved, yet her conclusion was, with the brothers’ putting their arms on each others’ shoulders, it was going to all be ok, even if the restaurant would fail. My 20 year old son just said, “that was a great last scene!”
Yeh, they went back to Italy, but after a couple of years, they moved to a small town in England, and opened a great restaurant. I eat there regularly. Married a pair of local girls, of Italian extraction. These days, they have five teenage kids between them, and they all spend their summers with family in Campania. The two eldest boys are planning to open a bar in Battipaglia, selling British craft beers to the Italians. Their cousin, who’s doing film studies at university, thinks there might be a movie in it.
I got to share this movie with some very good friends. The fellow is from Rome. He was captivated by the whole film. It was great to learn about some of the phrases and subtleties. The woman also looks so much like Ann the flower lady; and my friend actually has worked with the actress! It was such a treat to share my favorite film with friends with such a connection to the story in many ways. A true masterpiece film. I’ve seen it many times and it is always a pleasure. A similar film in tone is Local Hero.
Just saw where you covered Local Hero. Another one you would enjoy is Whale Rider. It’s slow pacing, true to a very specific locale, with heart and soul. Another one is The Secret of Roan Inish.
Great video, new fan of your channel
Thank you and welcome.
great video! Makes me want to see it again. Not sure why I didn't care for it first time around. Looks great!
thank you. try it again, and let me know what you think -- it's at the very least a fine character study.
@@LearningaboutMovies definitely! Maybe I was the in the wrong mood when I saw it. Definitely gonna see it again and I'll comment. Thanks!
I may need to rewatch it as well, as I've only seen it once (as a High School student) & perhaps it was a bit too sophisticated for me to understand during that period of my life :)
I absolutely loved this movie. It an old style story central movies. It has no F/X and is wonderful. I almost wish it was filmed in BW.
I believe most people would like this movie, and many would love it.
@@LearningaboutMovies unfortunately this generation probably can’t appreciate the idea of a movie with no action.
I saw this in the theaters in 1996, and about a year ago I found a pristine DVD at a garage sale for a couple of bucks (had to contain myself from reacting).
I'm a DVD/Blu collector. This DVD is almost impossible to find in US format, so be careful buying this on Ebay or anywhere else online.
The final scene is one of my all-time favorites, in its simplicity and acting (without acting).
All of the actors are great, but Tucci and Shaloub are pretty much flawless here.
thank you.
One of the greatest films ever!!
that's a BIG compliment!
This film was great.
This is a great movie........Simple as that.
never heard of this either, but Tony Shalhoub is from Green Bay
Just came here after watching the movie.
thank you. hope you enjoyed it.
Where do you find it?
it's on Amazon Prime right now. If you go to letterboxd and look up any film, it will show you on what services a movie is currently streaming.
RUclips
👍🏾
thank you.
Tucci wrote the movie with his cousin.
Went through the entire review and analysis while missing the biblical allegory at the center of the story?
It's the expulsion from the garden of Eden. Look at the names of the brothers and their restaurant. Look how Ian Holm is always shot and framed.
feel free to elaborate. the videos cannot explain everything, or offer as many possible interpretations as would please the entire world.
Please do elaborate. I like the movie a lot, kept me waiting to see how it turns out. Looks like the disappointment befalling the two brothers was intended to be transmitted to the viewers as well! Any explanation for the ending?!
@@yehiaelyamani6943 The ending? "but, he's your brother" as Secondo said to the Cadillac guy. They can send each other hell, lie and betray each other, but in the end and despite their shortcomings love each other.