Dinner Rush takes place in depths of the main Italian part of New York City in late 1990s. This film is about a retired bookmaker, who decided to step out of his illegal business and finally focus on turning his restaurant into one of the most authentic Italian restaurants in NYC. The owner, Louis Cropa ran a serious sports betting business that had serious consequences if the debts were not paid. After turning his full attention to the restaurant, he realized that he is still very much involved in the problems of the betting business. He learns that his best chef, Duncan is in serious debt with his old rival bookmaker’s from Queens. Louis knows that the bookmakers are serious business and will kill if they need to. Just like they kill his old business partner in the opening scene.  Louis’s son Chef Udo, the celebrity chef, bosses everyone around as he is trying to take over his father’s business one day and turn the restaurant into one of the best in the city. The film Dinner Rush focuses on three main themes: social class, gender roles, and tradition and authenticity

 

Food plays a massive role in this film, as almost the entire movie takes place inside the families restaurant. It emphasizes how the Italian community loves authentic meals and that traditionally they eat the highest quality foods. With all of the hectic events going on, food is one thing that sticks out throughout the entire film. In one scene, two girls come in the busy restaurant and ask chef Udo to cook them something special that is not on the menu, and without any butter. Mostly all meals contain butter and it is hard to cook pasta without something to get it going. Chef Udo shows of his cooking skills and prepares them a lobster dinner with fried pasta. That entire scene emphasis that meal, and shows that when chef Udo and Duncan work together they are a dynamic duo, all of the beef between the two goes out the window.

 

One of the key themes that was present in the film is social status. They own a very high restaurant in NYC, meaning lots of wealthy people wine and dine there. Fitzgerald, a stuck-up rich man who comes to eat with a famous Italian painter and others, shows how some people act in a restaurant setting to the workers. After the long wait, Mr.Fitzgerald basically demands a free bottle of wine on Louis. “ How about a nice bottle of Cheno 91, complaintary of Mr.Cropa for the wait we endorsed” (25:34). Theoretically demanding a bottle of wine just for waiting 25 minutes to be seated. The restaurant is top of the line in New York, so there was mainly upper class and famous people eating. This aspect of the film shows how the food they are serving is all super high quality.

Gender roles is another theme that is apparent in the film. In the typical stereotype that all of the chefs in the kitchen were men is present and all of the waiters were women. Although this could have been the popular case in the late 90s. In the beginning of the film, one of the waiters even says to another “if that guy at table 56 touches my leg again i’m going to freak out” (12:35). This is an example of sexual harassment, as a male is trying to take advantage of the waiter in a workplace. This would never happen to a male in that setting as the man is just being creepy and it was unfortunately more common during this time period. Even though we never talked about this aspect of gender roles, it is still a negative effect.

 

With multiple themes present in the film, the main one that stuck out the most was tradition and authenticity. This was expected, considering the film is based out of a very authentic Italian restaurant that tries to make you feel as if you are in italy. An example of the authenticity is when all of the waiters are going over the specials and trying to pronounce them with emphasis. The italian waiter is trying to help the other by saying the correct pronunciations (10:52). Hinting that everything must be perfect, even the way they say the names of foods. Another prime example of authenticity is when Chef Udo is trying to make improvements to the staff and to make it more Italian as Louis agrees with the tactic. “Why wouldn’t there be italians in a italian kitchen ” (14:02). He agrees with this because it could increase the food and traditionally Italians are the ones who make their own food best. Although Chef Udo is trying to make the menu more modernly italian, Louis disagrees and says that tradition is extremely important. “I need something nuriousing, something traditional that reminds me of your mom’s cooking, I need something that taste good and smells good ”(15:32). Tradition is key that every italian restaurant needs and Louis knows that.

 

This film featured plenty of different themes throughout the entirety of the movie. Overall it kept me on the edge of my seat almost the whole movie as it is filled with chaos and action.  For being around for almost 20 years old, it seems like it was made earlier. Some strengths of the film included, how they would still focus on the food looking amazing in the film while everything else crazy was going on. Also puts a reality on what it would be like to work at an extremely nice restaurant in its busiest hours. One of the few weaknesses featured in the film was how it didn’t seem like there was a giant plot going on besides the bookmakers waiting in the restaurant to kill Duncan. Although the movie follows that storyline the entire time, it seems like there should be something else going on. I would recommend Dinner Rush if looking for a movie in this field of genres.

For a movie based around food studies, it is filled with tons of action to keep the audience’s attention. Which has a graphic ending scene that is similar to lots of mob movies during this time. The film has the perfect mixture of action but keeps the focus on the importance of high quality authentic food.

 

 

 

Reference List

Girlaldi,B (Producer), &Girlaldi,B (Director). (2002).Dinner Rush [Motion
Picture]. Country of Origin: Access Motion Picture Group

Dinner Rush. (2002, March 29). Retrieved from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0229340/ (For photos 1,3,4)

Filmspanar-tema: Mat – Dinner Rush. (2017, December 17). Retrieved from https://jojjenito.wordpress.com/2012/10/31/filmspanar-tema-mat/ (lobster picture)

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/dinner-rush (rival bookmakers picture)

Watch Movies. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vudu.com/content/movies/details/Dinner-Rush/1081895