Foodie Movies: Big Night

Few movies speak to the inner-most passions of the true foodie like cult favorite Big Night.

In addition to being an insightful and entertaining film,
Big Night, the story of Italian restaurateur brothers in 1950s New Jersey, is loaded with memorable quotes.

“Bite your teeth into the ass of life!”

“A guy works all day, he don’t want to look at his plate and ask, ‘What the f— is this?’ He wants to look at his plate, see a steak, and say ‘I like steak!'”

“Give people what they want, then later you can give them what you want.”

All of these quotes and many others help to define the many plot twists, themes and messages of this classic Foodie Movie.

This movie does not reinvent the wheel when it comes to plot and story. It addresses the usual subjects: human relationships between siblings, lovers, husbands, wives, artists, businessmen. However its genius comes from the way it represents those relationships — always within the framework of food, cuisine, cooking, and by extension happiness, pleasure, and passion.

The eclectic but perfectly chosen cast includes the legendary Isabella Rossellini, a then-unknown Marc Anthony, pre-Monk Tony Shalhoub, and the incomparable Ian Holm.