neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Dinner Rush
	Bob Giraldi Danny Aiello, John Corbett, Sandra Bernhard 2001		Fugeddabout the plot elements concerning mobsters and numbers-runners. They didn't need the pat, familiar Mafia schtick to spice up this dramedy about one night at the hot trattoria-of-the-moment in New York's TriBeCa. With burly Danny Aiello cast as owner of that particular nouvelle-cuisine Italian eatery, it's not hard to imagine references to organized crime. But "Dinner Rush" is not so much about hoods-in-the-'hood as it is about the bracing high-wire act of a rising-star chef (the owner's prideful son) and his staff as they get through a busy shift at a new foodie mecca. That entails dealing with demanding VIP customers, restaurant reviewers and groupies, as well as the flood of regular patrons who crowd a joint when it gets the chic seal of approval. There are also the ongoing kitchen soap operas, rivalries, surreptitious love affairs and financial issues that can undermine a successful operation. That, not the mob aspect, is what gives the film a rush. With John Corbett and Sandra Bernhard.