Dinner Rush

Appealing, if the polar opposite of appetising, the breakneck Dinner Rush is a flawlessly-constructed and skilfully-shot oddity from the pen of writer/director Bob Giraldi.

Something like the BBC’s Ready Steady Cook blended neatly into an Italian mobster thriller, its resolutely C-list cast (top draw: Danny Aiello) and general lack of name appeal will definitely militate against soaraway success, but the film certainly rates as worthwhile viewing.

The plot’s deliberately free-wheeling, weaving together a multitude of characters. Aiello plays the dodgy-as-fuck restaurant owner Louis, one of those NY entities eternally ‘caught between the Mob and the men in blue’: meanwhile, his son Udo (Edouardo Ballerini) is a chef of increasing but precarious renown.

Throw in the other staff members – the arrogant barman, the compulsive gambler etc. – as well as the evening’s increasingly obnoxious customers (including a diva-ish Sandra Bernhard) and you’ve certainly the recipe for an intiguing night out, if not one to be sampled on the proverbial empty stomach.

The director’s genuine obsession with food – he directs a cookery website named Starchefs.com – is well in evidence but doesn’t obscure his skill with narrative, while all the cast – notably Aiello – chip in with spirited and amusing performances. Mandatory for those who enjoyed Big Night, this won’t exactly change the world, but it’s worth your time.