Trying to come up with an unconventional DVD pick for the Thanksgiving holiday isn’t easy. There are of course more obvious modern classics like “Home for the Holidays” or my pick last Thanksgiving, “Pieces of April.” But then are started thinking of the traditional symbols of Thanksgiving- great food, family, immigrants in a new land – and realized that “Big Night” celebrates all of these things. Yes,now would be a perfect time to check out the Stanley Tucci ( “Julie and Julia”) indie film that has made it on to critics’s lists often, but is never mentioned as a great movie companion to at this time of year. But after you have finished of your Thanskgiving feast, you might want to have seconds by sitting down with Italian brothers Secundo and Primo as they prepare a feast unlike any other.

Set in the 1950s, two Italian immigrant brothers own a struggling restaurant in New York , and though the one brother, Primo, is a spectacular chef, they can’t seem to draw a crowd, Then the possibility of a huge celebrity, musician Louie Prima, might come to dinner at the restaurant. A frenzy of cooking, planning, and bickering begins as the brothers and their friends and family prepare for this momentous visit. Certainly a visit from this music giant will garner them attention and save the restaurant. But the night wears on,,,and on…and the brothers begin to worry that their big night will be their last night at their restaurant.
“Big Night” is bittersweet and completely character driven with a pace that might frustrate some. But it not only celebrates family ties and the inspiration of sumptuous food, but it also is a fantastic portrait of the spiritual discipline of waiting. Watching it certainly will make you think about what it takes to nourish the soul as well as the bdy this season.