Big Night

Big Night
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Campbell Scott Stanley Tucci
Produced by	Jonathan Filley
Written by	Joseph Tropiano Stanley Tucci
Starring	Minnie Driver Ian Holm Isabella Rossellini Tony Shalhoub Stanley Tucci
Music by	Gary DeMichele Louis Prima
Editing by	Suzy Elmiger
Distributed by	The Samuel Goldwyn Company
Release date(s)	January 24, 1996 (Sundance Film Festival) September 20, 1996
Running time	107 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

For the 1951 American film, see The Big Night.

For the Big Time Rush song, see Big Night (song).

Big Night is a 1996 American motion picture drama with comedic overtones directed by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci. Produced by Jonathan Filley for the Samuel Goldwyn Company, the film met with much critical acclaim both in the United States and internationally. It was nominated for the "Grand Jury Prize" at the Sundance Film Festival and the "Grand Special Prize" at the Deauville Film Festival.

Scott and Tucci won the New York Film Critics Circle Award and the Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best New Director. Tucci and Tropiano won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay. Tucci also heads the cast, with Tony Shalhoub, Minnie Driver and Isabella Rosselini.

Plot

The film, presumably set in a small town on the New Jersey Shore in the 1950s, tells the story of two immigrant brothers from Abruzzo (Italy) who own and operate a restaurant called "Paradise." One brother, Primo (Tony Shalhoub), is a brilliant, perfectionist chef who chafes under their few customers' expectations of "Americanized" Italian food. Their uncle's offer for them to return to Rome to help with his restaurant is becoming more and more appealing to Primo. The other brother, Secondo (Tucci), is the restaurant's manager, who is enamored of the possibilities presented by their new endeavor and life in America. Despite Secondo's efforts and Primo's magnificent food, their restaurant is failing.

Secondo's elusive success as a businessman makes him unable to commit to his girlfriend Phyllis (Minnie Driver), and he has recently been sleeping with Gabriella (Isabella Rossellini), the wife of a competitor. Her husband's self-named restaurant, Pascal's (Ian Holm), has enjoyed great success despite (or perhaps due to) the mediocre, uninspired food served there. Desperate to keep Paradise afloat, Secondo asks Pascal for a loan. Pascal demurs, repeating a past offer to have the brothers come work for him. This Secondo in turn refuses; he and his brother want their own restaurant. In an apparent display of generosity, Pascal instead insists that he will persuade Louis Prima to dine at Paradise when he comes to town, assuming the celebrity jazz singer's patronage will revitalize the brothers' business. Primo and Secondo plunge themselves into preparations for this "big night," spending their last savings on the food and inviting dozens of people (including a newspaper reporter) to join them in a magnificent feast centered around a timpano (a form of timballo, a complicated baked pasta dish). Primo pours his heart into each dish, lavishing care and great expertise on the cooking.

As they wait for Prima and his entourage to arrive, the crowd indulges in the exquisite food and partakes in a fabulous celebration. Hours pass, however, and it becomes apparent that the famous singer is not coming. Phyllis catches Secondo and Gabriella kissing and runs away to the beach. At Gabriella's insistence, Pascal admits that he never even called Louis Prima, thus ending the party.

Secondo follows Phyllis to the beach where they have a final quarrel. Primo and Secondo have a fiery, heartwrenching argument, chafing at their mutual differences. In the wee hours of the morning, Pascal admits to Secondo that he set the brothers up for failure; not as revenge for Secondo's affair with Gabriella but because then the brothers would have no choice but to either return to Italy or work for Pascal. Secondo denies him, saying they will never work for him. The film closes with an uninterrupted, nearly wordless long take: as dawn breaks, Secondo silently cooks an omelette. When it is done, he divides it among three plates, giving one to Cristiano (Marc Anthony), their waiter, and eating one himself. Primo hesitantly enters: Secondo hands him the last plate. They eat without speaking, but lay their arms across each others' shoulders as they do so.

Primary cast

• Tony Shalhoub: Primo
• Stanley Tucci: Secondo
• Marc Anthony: Cristiano
• Larry Block: Man in Restaurant
• Caroline Aaron: Woman in Restaurant
• Andre Belgrader: Stash
• Minnie Driver: Phyllis
• Peter McRobbie: Loan Officer
• Isabella Rossellini: Gabriella
• Liev Schreiber: Leo
• Pasquale Cajano: Alberto N. Pisani
• Christine Tucci: Woman Singer
• Gene Canfield: Charlie
• Ian Holm: Pascal
• Allison Janney: Ann
• Campbell Scott: Bob

Production

The outside shots of the "Paradise" restaurant were filmed in the small town of Keyport, New Jersey.

Reception

Big Night was well-received by critics and currently holds a 96% 'Fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

External links

• Big Night at the Internet Movie Database
• WSU.edu
• "Heaven and Hell in Big Night"