Review of Big Night

Big Night (1996)
8/10
Very touching, slowburning portrait of 2 Italian cooks who can only express their love for family through cooking. Forgotten gem!
24 November 2018
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!
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