Restaurant (1998)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Eric Bross

Writer:

Tom Cudworth (writer)

Release Date:

24 July 1999 (Japan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A few young waiters at a popular New Jersey restaurant are dreaming of becoming actors or otherwise getting into the artistic community. |

Plot Keywords:

Restaurant | New Jersey | Waiter | Play | Art Imitates Life

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Adrien Brody	...	Chris Calloway
Elise Neal	...	Jeanine
David Moscow	...	Reggae
Simon Baker	...	Kenny (as Simon Baker-Denny)
Catherine Kellner	...	Nancy
Malcolm-Jamal Warner	...	Steven
John Carroll Lynch	...	John English
Jesse L. Martin	...	Quincy
Sybil Temtchine	...	Lenore (as Sybil Temchen)
Vonte Sweet	...	Marcus
Michael Stoyanov	...	Ethan
Elon Gold	...	Kurt
Lori Heuring	...	Donna
Lauryn Hill	...	Leslie
Avery Waddell	...	Al-Tarique

MPAA:

Rated R for sexuality, language and drug use.

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Hoboken PATH Station - 40 Hudson Place, Hoboken, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Chaiken Films

Trivia:

The restaurant used in the film is now The Madison Bar & Grill.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: Jeanine and Kenny board a PATH train (a New York-New Jersey subway) in Hoboken, New Jersey, go one stop and get off at the same Hoboken station.

A dynamite film that balances a comprehensive plot line with full cast of realistic, thoughtfully rendered characters.

Restaurant takes on a lot, and succeeds. Various story lines are carefully interwoven as the film takes on issues of race relations and day-to-day life in small town NJ. Genuinely humorous throughout, "Restaurant' is a beautifully written tale of twenty-something artists struggling to grow up. Adrien Brody and Elise Neal co-star in their roles as interracial lovers, and put similar relationships depicted in movies such as "Jungle Fever" to shame. Supported by a cast of top-notch actors, what could be a lot to take on in the confines of one film ends up feeling like the perfect mix of elements. "Restaurant" is a touching, heartfelt rendition of the lives of young artists working to overcome the confines of their 9 to 5 jobs.