The Linguini Incident
The Linguini Incident (released on home video as Shag-O-Rama) is a 1991 American crime comedy film set in New York starring David Bowie and Rosanna Arquette. The film was directed by Richard Shepard, who co-wrote the script with Tamar Brott. The name refers to linguini, a type of pasta.
The Linguini Incident | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Directed by | Richard Shepard |
Produced by | Sarah Jackson Arnold Orgolini |
Written by | Tamar Brott Richard Shepard |
Starring | Rosanna Arquette David Bowie Eszter Balint Marlee Matlin Buck Henry Viveca Lindfors |
Music by | Thomas Newman |
Cinematography | Robert Yeoman |
Distributed by | Academy Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Plot
A British bartender, Monte, wishes to marry a waitress at the restaurant he works at ostensibly so that he can get his green card. Waitress and aspiring escape artist, Lucy, and hopeful lingerie designer Vivian, wish to rob Monte's and Lucy's employer in order to fund their ambitions. Monte agrees to help the duo rob the restaurant so long as Lucy marries him. While the robbery does not go precisely according to plan, the trio are successful. However, Lucy accidentally leaves Monte at the altar, causing him to lose a two million dollar bet with the restaurant owners that he could marry a waitress in a week. In a Double or nothing scenario, Monte wagers Lucy's skills as an escape artist. He tricks the women into playing along, claiming that the bosses found out about the robbery. The women appear to forgive him for lying about the circumstances of the escape performance. The two women rob the restaurant a second time. The relationship of the women and Monte remains ambiguous in the end.
Cast
- David Bowie as Monte
- Rosanna Arquette as Lucy
- Marlee Matlin as Jeanette
- Eszter Balint as Vivian
- Buck Henry as Cecil
- Viveca Lindfors as Miracle
- Andre Gregory as Dante
- Kathy Kinney as Denise
- James Avery as Phil
- Al Berry as Bread Man
Iman and Julian Lennon have brief cameos in the movie.[1]
Release
The movie was released to VHS in 1992.
Critical response
Reviews of the movie were mostly negative. Empire magazine gave the movie one star out of five, calling it "an unbearably protracted dud".[2] Variety magazine called the movie an "uninspired, poverty row production" and lamented the miscasting of Bowie in the lead role.[1] In contrast, Janet Maslin of The New York Times gave the film a positive review, and approved of Bowie's casting.[3] TV Guide gave the movie 2 stars out of 5.[4]
Notes
- Cohn, Lawrence (May 4, 1992). "Review: The Linguini Incident". Variety. Los Angeles, California: Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- "Reviews: The Linguini Incident". London, England: Bauer Media Group. 1 January 2000. Retrieved 20 February 2015.
- Maslin, Janet (May 1, 1992). "Movies: The Linguini Incident". The New York Times. New York City: New York Times Company. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- "The Linguini Incident (Review)". TV Guide. New York City: CBS Corporation. Retrieved February 20, 2015.