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Blu-ray™ Review: The Talents Of David Bowie And Rosanna Arquette In “The Linguini Incident” Take This Offbeat Comedy To Absurdly Dizzying Levels

A waitress (Rosanna Arquette), a barman (David Bowie), and an underwear designer (Eszter Balint) try to rob a New York restaurant where two of them work.

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, raucous comedies containing eccentric characters and absurdity were all the rage. Comedies like “A Fish Called Wanda,” “The Hudsucker Proxy,” and “Death Becomes Her” pushed boundaries while dipping into classic Hollywood aesthetics with screwball influences. “The Linguini Incident” is like an early Howard Hawks picture drenched in Art Deco and costumes influenced by art nouveau, with a touch of the surreal (referenced with a restaurant taken after Dali, one of the foremost artists of the movement). Its production design contains a lot of green, purple, and silver colors reminiscent of a fish or some classic building you would see in Gotham City. At first, it takes some time to tune into its outlandish rhythm, but once you get into it, “The Linguini Incident” is worthy of your time.

After being unhappy with the studio’s Final Cut of “The Linguini Incident,” Director Richard Shephard (“The Matador,” “Dom Hemingway”) won the rights to finally release his original vision with a Director’s Cut updated in a 4K transfer. Shephard is known for directing bizarre or dark-humor comedies, particularly those with neurotic characters teaming up with an unexpected ally.

In “The Linguini Incident,” Monte (David Bowie) is an Englishman bartending at the successful restaurant Dali. His co-worker, a witty waitress, Lucy (Roseanne Arquette), constantly declines his romantic advances. When Lucy is home with her pet rabbit, who acts as a personal audience member, she performs a death-defying Houdini stunt. Her homage to Houdini goes horribly wrong, but she is saved by Monte, who immediately asks for her hand in marriage. In reality, Monte wants to marry her to secure a Green Card to remain in the United States. Vivian (Eszter Balint), Lucy’s best friend and confidant, is an unorthodox bra designer and an Anglophile smitten with Monte.

Bowie and Arquette have a uniquely chaotic comedic chemistry, similar to Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. Arquette has long been an established actor, having worked with many talented directors. Whereas Bowie had not been as prolific as his music career, he clearly was a very gifted performer, particularly in films “The Hunger,” “The Prestige,” and “The Man Who Fell to Earth.” One of the best running gags throughout “The Linguini Incident” is Arquette trying to escape from locked burlap sacks, which usually fail.

The Dali’s owners, Cecil (Buck Henry) and Dante (Andre Gregory), are perfectly over-the-top in their roles. The conniving pair implements a strict policy that any server unable to sell a certain amount of desserts has to pay a monthly fee. And Monte is told to secure his green card, he must pay anywhere from $10,000-25,000. Plus, Lucy focuses on an expensive ring previously owned by her icon, Houdini. These financial constraints and ambitions make them desperate to rob the Dali. As usual, with these schemes, unknown factors cause plans to derail, and many things go awry.

While I have never seen the original cut of “The Linguini Incident” – which was universally panned – this version is not extraordinary but very entertaining. With a wonderfully bizarre screenplay and two irresistible leads staged around numerous iconic NYC locations, it makes for a watchable and unpredictable outing.

Now available on a Special Director’s Cut Collector’s Edition Blu-ray™

 

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Eamon Tracy

Based in Philadelphia, Eamon lives and breathes movies and hopes there will be more original concepts and fewer remakes!