Dinner Rush

Family. Food. Drama. A little comedy. Music. Art. And gangsters. Sounds like a recipe for a good movie to me. Like a perfectly written and played concertina, this story is entertaining, satisfying, and short enough to leave you just a little disappointed because it's over.

Director Bob Giraldi is more known for his work with musicians, so the above comes as no surprise. Nothing is wasted. Every shot, every note, means something. And in the end you are left smiling a how well it all came together.

Danny Aiello was perfect in this role. A father. A businessman. A planner. His character conducts the events of one evening with smooth skill. I loved it.

Edoardo Ballerini plays the master chef son of Aiello's character. Foodies should love this movie. The restaurant's menu is actually as much a character in this movie as anyone else.

Other faces you will no doubt recognize are John Rothman, Polly Draper, Sandra Berhard, and John Corbett. I loved how they depicted the waitstaff and the kitchen workers. Too many movies don't give a proper representation of how small restaurant kitchens get, nor how crazy. If you have not worked in a restaurant before, this is a good example what it's like.

This is not your typical gangster movie. There is a minimal amount of bloodshed. The worst violence is what happens to chicken and lobsters. Don't get me wrong. People get shot. There is blood. But I bet this movie sets a record for the fewer number of dead wiseguys.

Watch this movie with someone who can appreciate that the father and the son both pull off the perfect evening without being aware of what the other was doing.