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Date Showing Showing On 26, 28, 29 June
Time Showing Monday 6pm, Wednesday 4pm and Thursday 6pm

THE PERFECT DINNER (La Cena Perfetta)

M 1hrs 46mins
comedy | 2022, Italy | Italian
Overview

Based on a story by Stefano Sardo, The Perfect Dinner follows Carmine (Salvatore Esposito, Gomorrah series), a Neapolitan mafioso who isn’t cut out for the criminal life. Under the protection of his boss Pasquale (Gianfranco Gallo), Carmine is sent north to run a money laundering operation through a restaurant. He simply needs to defrost frozen meals, issue receipts and dinner is served. But everything changes when he meets Consuelo (Greta Scarano), a chef who always pursues perfection and dreams of winning a Michelin star. 

Warnings

Violence, coarse language and sexual references

Director
Ben Sharrock
Original Review
Jacob Richardson, A Sliver of Film
Extracted By
Gail Bendall
Featuring
Salvatore Esposito, Greta Scarano, Gianluca Colucci

Watch The Trailer

THE PERFECT DINNER - Official HD Trailer - A film by Davide Minnella

Storyline (warning: spoilers)

Carmine (Salvatore Esposito) reluctantly runs a restaurant in Rome, after having been forced there post a major stuff up by his godfather and mafioso Pasquale (Gianfrance Gallo). While ostensibly his job is to sit down, shut up and launder money as fast as possible, in reality Carmine can’t resist the allure of turning this restaurant into a going concern. He also can’t resist the charms of Consuelo (Greta Scarano), a down on her luck chef who he teams up with to turn this restaurant into a Michelin star aspiring restaurant. To do so, however, he dips into the money he is meant to be laundering, and as they face together the challenges of creating a successful restaurant, they also face the looming threat of the mafioso they took the cash from.
The Perfect Dinner isn’t breaking any new ground. Indeed, the style of filmmaking feels like it harkens back to a time before big budget CGI, endless camera stabilisation, and that certain streaming service feel of content. There are rough shots, and the whole thing feels like it was all shot on location without an ounce of green screen. There’s something to love about that.
There’s also something to love about the beautiful work by the two lead actors. Esposito is lovely and engaging, a truly endearing sort of hero to get behind. Scarano is feisty and fiery as the wronged chef, but also convincing in her relationship with Esposito. Together, they form a formidable pair that sparks real joy. The other standout is Gianluca Colucci’s Rosario, who plays the comic relief extremely well.
As a story, there’s nothing really unexpected to be seen here. However, that doesn’t mean it fails in any respect. The paths are well trodden, but they still are both enjoyable and effective in delivering the emotional punches needed. At the end of the day, the film focusses on how memory and familiarity in food drives enjoyment and feeling, and the movie itself trades on that same sentiment very effectively to deliver a great time in the theatre. The Perfect Dinner isn’t perfect, but it’s a damn good meal.

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