Linguini Incident
by Richard Shepard
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Product details
Actor: Andre Gregory, Buck Henry, David Bowie, Eszter Balint, Rosanna ArquetteDirector: Richard Shepard
Writer: Richard Shepard
Producer: Arnold H. Orgolini
Producer: Martin F. Gold
Producer: Patricia Foulkrod
Producer: Robert Goodale
Producer: Sarah Jackson
Writer: Tamar Brott
Edition: VHS Tape
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, EP, NTSC
Running Time: 98 minutes
Release Date: 1993-08-16
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Publisher: Academy Home Entertainment
Studio: Academy Home Entertainment
VHS Movie Reviews of Linguini Incident
Movie Review: "I thought that rabbit was eating your head"
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Linguini Incident" is aging better than one might have thought back in 1991. At the time, it seemed like a trendy summation of the chic and jaded in New York City: Rosanna Arquette is a would-be Houdini who makes ends meet by waitressing in a hip eatery called Dali; David Bowie is a fallen playboy/gambler and would-be U.S. citizen who has been reduced to tending bar at Dali and trying to get a waitress-any waitress-to marry him so he can get a green card; and Eszter Balint is a would-be fashion designer who doesn't seem to make any money but also doesn't seem to have another job. Together, they decide to rob Dali to finance their various dreams. And in New York City, the robbery makes Dali even more popular than it was before, of course.
All of which sounds critical, but it's not meant to be. The film has the potential to be off-puttingly cynical, but it actually works quite well due to the charisma of the cast, the consistent wit of the script, and the fact that the film veers into the absurd just often enough to keep the viewer guessing. Arquette was always good at comedy, and Bowie should have done more, as well, because he has an effectively offbeat sense of timing. Buck Henry and Andre Gregory are excellent as the egotistical and slightly daffy owners of Dali, and it's a shame that Balint only made a handful of movies after this one. She had a certain nutty charm. Marlee Matlin just has a few scenes as Dali's hostess, but she makes them count. Look for Maura Tierney in a bit part as one of Arquette's co-workers, and also keep an eye out for Iman's cameo as a guest at the big underwater escape finish. She married Bowie soon after this film was completed.
Movie Review: Stuck in wrong sector of trend cycle
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fun screwy movie, not a laugh riot but you'll have a smileon your face through the whole things. Bowie is wonderful in it--an underutilized screen talent.
Ok, so it's almost camp? In about five years, this film, and a lot of other what I'll call "Third Generation Screwball Comedy"--items from the early-Eighties to early Nineties--will be in high demand: "Earth Girls are Easy," "Nothing but Trouble," "My Stepmother is an Alien," "Mom and Dad Save the World," "Straight to Hell," and this one, to name a few. (Alert! "Starstruck" and "Freaked" have just been released!)The kids by then will think these are fun as all heck, and we'll be sitting around yapping about the wacky and colorful "good old days" of Reagan, Bush I, Pee Wee Herman, early Madonna, Twin Peaks, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and dollar-a-gallon gas. Nostalgia? Forgetting the bad things? Not this reporter; I thought those years were a blast WHILE they were happening but, being a student of history, I knew that a Big Ugly Thing (or two or three) would eventually appear to wreck it all.
Note I say the era lasted to the early Nineties, not to 9/11. Think back and remember it started to turn sour during the Boom, when big money was flying everywhere but schools lacked funds to continue art and music programs, and political correctness turned college campuses into replicas of Pol Pot's Cambodia. I never saw so many well-off people living in a vaguely peaceful world work so hard (President included) to make a total hash of it all. Movies like these evaporated in this selfish, greedy, hyper-critical, and joyless environment. Cell phones and PC's also began their relentless domination of our lives. Sad. It's almost like we collectively willed the rancid events of this new century into being.
Movie Review: On DVD as "Shag-o-rama"
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm always the last to know anything, but in case there is anyone else who might be even more "last to know" than I am, here's the scoop.
I just found out by sheer accident a few nights ago that The Linguini Incident WAS released on DVD. However, it was put out under a completely different title: Shag-o-rama. The information I found said that the movie wasn't changed a bit, except for the title credit.
Since it's already out-of-print, for copies of this DVD you'll probably have to watch eBay (I bought one there) or used DVD shops in your local area, if you have any.
And for the record, I found this to be a quirky, off-beat, romantic caper comedy. It's funny and cute, even if it is slightly over the top. (And I really loved Arquette's 1920s outfits!)
Mae
Movie Review: I can't rave enough about this film!!!!!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Having been a huge fan of Bowie's music for years, I started renting and watching anything he appeared in. Lo and behold, I stumbled across this gem in about 1997, and still pull it out, dust off the VCR, and watch it whenever I need a pick-me-up.This movie has it all; humor, romance, action, and intrigue. An excellent screenplay, soundtrack, cast and cinematography make this film worth the commitment to spend a couple of hours in front of the TV. Unfortunately, it's out of print... Will they ever release it on DVD???
Movie Review: Bra weapons, magic tricks and one snarky Bowie
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my favorite Bowie movie of all time. Not only are the characters downright quirky and fun, but the plot itself is funny in its own right. Who knew a pair of handcuffs could get you into so much trouble? I just hope that it eventually makes its way onto DVD!
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