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The Guardian
33 minutes ago
- The Guardian
‘Spirited and sumptuous': why Big Night is my feelgood movie
'Life is meals,' observed the novelist James Salter. Big Night, Stanley Tucci's spirited and sumptuous indie from 1996, is a film about one big meal that asks a few big questions about life, including: What is the cost of the American dream? What does food allow us to say to each other that words can't? And what right does Marc Anthony, of all people, have to deliver one of the most charming non-speaking performances in any movie since the silent era? Big Night follows two Italian immigrants who run a failing restaurant in 1950s New Jersey. Ambitious, high-strung Secondo (Tucci, practically hirsute) is the manager, while his brother Primo (Tony Shalhoub) is the madman in the kitchen, a purist who derides the local clientele as philistines and has begun to doubt the wisdom of coming to the US in the first place. A last-ditch opportunity to save the business arrives unexpectedly through the largesse of Pascal (Ian Holm), proprietor of a successful competing restaurant down the street, who seems to have it all figured out in this country ('Bite your teeth into the ass of life!' he exhorts Tucci's Secondo). Pascal wants to help the brothers – they are no threat to him – and so he arranges for them to host a dinner for the touring jazz star Louis Prima and his band. Secondo and Primo will be made men, if they can pull it off. At this point in the film, we are all clocked in and a day's work lies ahead. There are preparations to be made, ingredients to procure. And there is a guest list to be finalized and then worried over, a magnificent supporting cast that includes Secondo's sweetheart (Minnie Driver); his lover (Isabella Rossellini), who is also Pascal's sweetheart; and Primo's crush, a neighborhood florist (Allison Janney) who is more game for the evening than Primo realizes. All along, passing through the restaurant like an ethereal hipster out of Jim Jarmusch, is the brothers' near-silent helper Cristiano (Anthony), without whom, somehow, the whole movie would not work. The camera's attention to food in Big Night may be its greatest pleasure and greatest insight. We are invited to watch the penne rolled by hand and the red sauce ladled with tenderness. This hungry cinematography anticipates so much about the way we've come to look at food on screen, from documentaries including David Gelb's Chef's Table series to the award-winning show The Bear. Unlike a lot of The Bear, though, or other comedies that turn on a high-stakes dinner (Mrs Doubtfire and The Birdcage, for example), Big Night doesn't yield over much to anxious tension on the one hand or madcap hijinks on the other. This, to me, is what makes it feel so good. There are real stakes to this meal for these characters, but co-directors Tucci and Campbell Scott care enormously that you have a good time at their party. They never want you to refill your own glass. Take the sequence in the middle of the film in which Secondo, under the influence of a smooth car salesman named Bob (Scott) with a plaster cast on his hand, test-drives a Cadillac he will buy with money he doesn't have. It's hardly necessary to the plot but a perfect aperitif, this dudes-rock intermezzo with two joy-riders who are also the directors of the movie you are watching. When Secondo asks him how he got the cast, Bob replies: 'No idea.' Ma che importa – who cares? Later, once the records are spinning and the dancing starts, you recognize in time with the characters that the guest of honor isn't required for this party to be a success. The long take that ends the film, in the kitchen the morning after, shouldn't be over-described for readers who haven't seen it. Suffice to say, it is a key exhibit in the archaeology of Tucci's second act as an ambassador of Italian food, which began in earnest during lockdown with an Instagram video of him making a negroni – a shameless, filthy bit of pornography, the internet decided. Sex appeal aside, Tucci, with Scott and his co-writer, Joseph Tropiano, intuited something essential in Big Night about our appetite for food served on the big screen. More than that, he recognized how eager we are for entertainment that understands the importance of food in structuring and texturing the course of our lives. Isn't a good meal, especially a simple one, all you want after a long day and a big night? If life is meals, play on. Big Night is available to watch on Hoopla in the US and to rent digitally in the UK and Australia
Scottish Sun
34 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
PSG manager Luis Enrique faces total coaching ban after SLAPPING Chelsea star Joao Pedro at Club World Cup
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN boss Luis Enrique faces a TOTAL coaching ban for his Club World Cup Final slap attack on Chelsea star Joao Pedro. Spaniard Enrique lost control after his side crashed 3-0 to Chelsea in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Luis Enrique is facing a total coaching ban for his Club World Cup final slap on Joao Pedro Credit: AFP 3 Enrique lost his cool after the match and slapped him on the side of the head Credit: Alamy 3 The incident sparked a 20-plus brawl involving players and staff Credit: Reuters After squaring up to the Brazilian striker, the PSG chief slapped him once to the side of the head, before players rushed in to separate the duo. The incident sparked a major melee involving 20-plus players and staff from both sides. Fifa is now poised to open a formal disciplinary probe into Enrique's behaviour. But world chiefs are UNABLE to impose a specific match sanction because PSG and Enrique will not play any games under their jurisdiction until the Champions League winners represent Europe in the InterContinental Cup in December. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL BLUE MURDER Enrique explains why he slapped Pedro as PSG coach faces TOTAL coaching ban And that leaves a TIME penalty - a period in which the Catalan would be prevented from doing ANY training ground or match day work - as the most likely punishment if Enrique is charged with misconduct. But midfielder Joao Neves will probably NOT be banned for his hair-tug red card on Marc Cucarella in the final moments of the match, under tournament-specific rules published by Fifa before a ball was kicked. The likely punishment for Enrique was predicted by senior Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez, who said: 'Of course, you can be sanctioned. 'There's a difference, the red and yellow cards in the tournament will expire. But FIFA can sanction him with time. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 'So, if Luis Enrique is given a one-month ban, he would miss any games in that month. What's more, he wouldn't even be able to train the team.' He added: 'You can't touch an opponent's face. That's already a humiliating issue, that you have to go over and punch a player in the face when the game is over. Luis Enrique explains why he slapped Joao Pedro in shocking bust-up after Chelsea's Club World Cup win over PSG 'I don't look at names, I look at the action, and if we look at the action, it's punishable. 'Fifa is above Uefa. If Fifa tells you there are three matches it's in their competition, but since in this tournament the yellow and red cards ended, FIFA can, on the other hand, sanction players based on time.' The time-based penalty was handed out to former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez when he bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay's World Cup group game at the 2014 finals. Suarez was initially banned from 'all football-related activities' for four months and banned for nine international matches, although an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was partially successful allowing the striker to train with new club Barcelona. Fifa have yet to confirm whether disciplinary procedures have been opened against Enrique or anybody else involved. The PSG boss - who could now be banned for PSG's Super Cup meeting with Spurs in Udine on August 14 - attempted to downplay the incident in the aftermath of the defeat. He said: "At the end of the match, there was a situation that was completely avoidable for everyone. "My intention, as always, was to try to separate the players so that it didn't escalate. 'It was definitely avoidable; there was a lot of pressure. There were some problematic things coming from a lot of people. It's not the best way to attract attention." Enrique appeared to be trying to pin the blame on Blues chief Enzo Maresca as he added: 'I have seen Maresca. 'I saw he had pushed others and we had to separate all the players and I do not know where that pressure came from. "I have no problem expressing my feeling at the end of the game in a high level of pressure. It's very stressful for all of us. It is going to be impossible to avoid that. "Everybody was involved. It was not what was best and the end result of the pressure of the match. "But this is a situation we must all avoid. That goes without saying. My intention is that I wanted to separate the footballers, so the situations didn't become worse." Joao Pedro, who scored the third goal of Chelsea's first half blitz, suggested the flare-up had been sparked by PSG players making a bee-line for Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos. He said: 'I went to protect Andrey. I saw their players were crowding Andrey. Like a good Brazilian, I went to protect my friend. 'A lot of people were arriving and in that mess, I ended up getting shoved. It's part of it. "I don't need to say anything more about them because it's normal. Everyone wants to win the game and, in the end, I think they lost their heads. "But this is football, this has happened and now we need to enjoy it because we won the tournament, that's it. I don't want to talk too much about them because you know how it works. Football is this." Neves' red card, though, will not bring a ban unless Fifa rule it deserves an extra punishment. The regulations for the tournament state: 'Without prejudice to any other sanction that might result, any match suspension resulting from a player or official being sent off - as a result of a direct or an indirect red card - will not be carried over to another competition.'
The Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Sun
PSG manager Luis Enrique faces total coaching ban after SLAPPING Chelsea star Joao Pedro at Club World Cup
PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN boss Luis Enrique faces a TOTAL coaching ban for his Club World Cup Final slap attack on Chelsea star Joao Pedro. Spaniard Enrique lost control after his side crashed 3-0 to Chelsea in New Jersey's MetLife Stadium. 3 3 After squaring up to the Brazilian striker, the PSG chief slapped him once to the side of the head, before players rushed in to separate the duo. The incident sparked a major melee involving 20-plus players and staff from both sides. Fifa is now poised to open a formal disciplinary probe into Enrique's behaviour. But world chiefs are UNABLE to impose a specific match sanction because PSG and Enrique will not play any games under their jurisdiction until the Champions League winners represent Europe in the InterContinental Cup in December. And that leaves a TIME penalty - a period in which the Catalan would be prevented from doing ANY training ground or match day work - as the most likely punishment if Enrique is charged with misconduct. But midfielder Joao Neves will probably NOT be banned for his hair-tug red card on Marc Cucarella in the final moments of the match, under tournament-specific rules published by Fifa before a ball was kicked. The likely punishment for Enrique was predicted by senior Spanish referee Eduardo Gonzalez, who said: 'Of course, you can be sanctioned. 'There's a difference, the red and yellow cards in the tournament will expire. But FIFA can sanction him with time. 'So, if Luis Enrique is given a one-month ban, he would miss any games in that month. What's more, he wouldn't even be able to train the team.' He added: 'You can't touch an opponent's face. That's already a humiliating issue, that you have to go over and punch a player in the face when the game is over. Luis Enrique explains why he slapped Joao Pedro in shocking bust-up after Chelsea's Club World Cup win over PSG 'I don't look at names, I look at the action, and if we look at the action, it's punishable. 'Fifa is above Uefa. If Fifa tells you there are three matches it's in their competition, but since in this tournament the yellow and red cards ended, FIFA can, on the other hand, sanction players based on time.' The time-based penalty was handed out to former Liverpool striker Luis Suarez when he bit Italy's Giorgio Chiellini in Uruguay's World Cup group game at the 2014 finals. Suarez was initially banned from 'all football-related activities' for four months and banned for nine international matches, although an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was partially successful allowing the striker to train with new club Barcelona. Fifa have yet to confirm whether disciplinary procedures have been opened against Enrique or anybody else involved. The PSG boss - who could now be banned for PSG's Super Cup meeting with Spurs in Udine on August 14 - attempted to downplay the incident in the aftermath of the defeat. He said: "At the end of the match, there was a situation that was completely avoidable for everyone. "My intention, as always, was to try to separate the players so that it didn't escalate. 'It was definitely avoidable; there was a lot of pressure. There were some problematic things coming from a lot of people. It's not the best way to attract attention." Enrique appeared to be trying to pin the blame on Blues chief Enzo Maresca as he added: 'I have seen Maresca. 'I saw he had pushed others and we had to separate all the players and I do not know where that pressure came from. "I have no problem expressing my feeling at the end of the game in a high level of pressure. It's very stressful for all of us. It is going to be impossible to avoid that. "Everybody was involved. It was not what was best and the end result of the pressure of the match. "But this is a situation we must all avoid. That goes without saying. My intention is that I wanted to separate the footballers, so the situations didn't become worse." Joao Pedro, who scored the third goal of Chelsea's first half blitz, suggested the flare-up had been sparked by PSG players making a bee-line for Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos. He said: 'I went to protect Andrey. I saw their players were crowding Andrey. Like a good Brazilian, I went to protect my friend. 'A lot of people were arriving and in that mess, I ended up getting shoved. It's part of it. "I don't need to say anything more about them because it's normal. Everyone wants to win the game and, in the end, I think they lost their heads. "But this is football, this has happened and now we need to enjoy it because we won the tournament, that's it. I don't want to talk too much about them because you know how it works. Football is this." Neves' red card, though, will not bring a ban unless Fifa rule it deserves an extra punishment. The regulations for the tournament state: 'Without prejudice to any other sanction that might result, any match suspension resulting from a player or official being sent off - as a result of a direct or an indirect red card - will not be carried over to another competition.'
