I see this came out in 2000. I have no recollection of this being in the theater. Just happen to catch in on cable on some crazy channel and I loved it. Great acting from a list of great actors. Really no complaints about anything besides a minor one brought up in one of the forums about the opening credits and the red lettering being used. Movie just rushes along, with its various subplots. I really was surprised by Corbetts character. That came out of nowhere. Though its mainly a drama, I found myself laughing at allot of scenes. Like Fitzgeralds constant rich drunken rants. Funny stuff. Though at times i wanted to strangle Duncan for his stupid gambling problem, it all works out well. I saw the location of this restaurant on here. I must of walked by it a 100 times without any thought back in the day. I'll have to check it out the next time i'm in lower Manhattan.

"Dinner Rush" is a 2000 film starring Danny Aiello, Edoardo Ballerini, John Corbett, Polly Draper, Kirk Acevedo, and Sandra Bernhard, directed by Bob Giraldi, and written by Rick Shaughnessy and Brian Kalata.The story concerns a very trendy Soho restaurant owned by Louis Cropa; his son Udo (Ballerini) is the popular chef, who makes nouvelle cuisine with an Italian slant. The place is packed to the rafters every night, though Louis doesn't really approve of these dishes, which are not straight down the line Italian. Udo wants to take over the restaurant but so far, his father is resistant.We learn the history of the place early on -- Louis and his partner were low-level bookies using the restaurant as a front, and when some thugs from Queens wanted a partnership in the restaurant, Louis' partner refused them and is later killed on the street. Louis no longer takes bets and has turned legitimate. However, he can't control Duncan (Acevedo), who works at the restaurant and is a compulsive gambler, now into these same guys for $13,000. On this particular night, the queens thugs come into the restaurant on the invitation of Louis; but he has also invited a police detective (Walt MacPherson) and his wife to be his guests for dinner.What makes this film is the atmosphere, a very typical one for an upscale restaurant with repeat, high profile clientèle. The wait staff is incredibly gracious to some very demanding customers, and there are many perks if you had to wait too long in line or if the boss knows you.The kitchen, however, is like the wild west, with all kinds of screaming and throwing things, and Udo losing his temper. It's all absolutely perfect and really makes you feel as if you're there.The performances are excellent, from Aiello's underplayed, honest performance, to John Corbett relaxing at the bar and talking to a woman there to meet someone who doesn't show, to Ballerini's intense, artistic Udo, proud of his accomplishments, and finally to Aceveda's messed up Duncan, working and trying to listen to a race at the same time, realizing it's another bad bet, and meeting his girlfriend for stolen moments on the fire escape.The end of the film, though I expected some of it, changes the atmosphere drastically in seconds.Truly fantastic film that took me through something I experienced many times while living in New York. Highly recommended.

It's subtle and overt, and captures today's culture of cuisine amazingly, especially of old americanized Italian restaurants in and around NYC, and their metamorphosis into nouveau eateries and rock star chefs in today's urban scene. But for all its big town bravura and urbane snobbery, it's amazingly sweet, and when I see the father/son chat near the end of the film I simply fall out for its quiet gentleness and regard. The performances of every single actor in this film are understated, real, and flawless. I hope the writers/producers/crew/actors know what a gem they've made - it touched and moved me greatly... Thank you for this wonderful film...

I found this gem in the bargain bin at Wal Mart. How it got there, I don't know. The film stars Danny Aiello (Do The Right Thing), Mike McGlone (The Brothers McMullen) and John Corbett (Sex and the City). Set in the fast paced New York Italian restaurant "Gigino", we follow a restaurant owner (Aiello) and his son, the head chef, on a busy Friday night. The film is comprised of witty banter from different tables in the restaurant, following a uptight art critic, a mafiosi from Queens, a food critic and a real mystery man in Corbett's character. The staff has to deal with a power outage, whiny tables and a line chef who is into a bookie 35 grand. The film carries itself with panache every second, and no matter how often I see this picture, be it on DVD or on IFC, I just can't get enough. Check it out!