SYNOPSICS
Today's Special (2009) is a English,Hindi movie. David Kaplan has directed this movie. Jess Weixler,Kevin Corrigan,Dean Winters,Aarti Mann are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2009. Today's Special (2009) is considered one of the best Comedy movie in India and around the world.
Samir is a sous chef in Manhattan. He quits when he's not promoted - his boss says his cooking lacks soul. He decides to find an unpaid internship in Paris, but his father suffers a heart attack keeping him home for a few weeks. Samir must run the family's failing Indian restaurant in Queens. He can't cook Indian food, so things get dire when the chef quits: Samir tracks down Akbar, a cabbie who claims to have cooked for British royalty in Bombay. Akbar cooks with mind, heart, and gut - and offers philosophy as well. With the help of Carrie, whom he met at the Manhattan restaurant, Samir begins to enjoy the work. But will his father approve, and if not, what then?
Today's Special (2009) Reviews
Delightful ethnic comedy!
The excellent comedic talent, Aasif Mandvi, plays a lovable character named Samir in a very funny comedy about Samir's life in New York. He works as a sous chef in a nice restaurant with the hope of becoming a full chef in his boss's newly opening restaurant. When that position fails to materialize for him, Samir quits in a huff and decides to move to Paris for an unpaid position with a famous chef there. Not too surprisingly, it turns out he needs to stay in New York because of a family crisis (I won't say what) and Samir's help is needed with the family business. A thoroughly delightful story follows that is full of heart and full of humor, for a totally enjoyable experience! Highly recommended!
Evoked a gastronomic delight in Indian cuisine...inspiring with a peculiar sense of humor
Rating and review:***** A great movie for the weekend. Funny and also will definitely stir your appetite or may even motivate the Chef hiding within you to get into the kitchen if you are a foodie !! I enjoyed and chuckled with the idiosyncratic behavior of the characters in the movie. It well depicted, with humor the generation gap of ethnic Indians raised in the West. No one else could have fit into the role Naseeruddin Shah played. cheers ! I wish more movies of this genre are made. I love the concept of blending into the Western culture while preserving the roots of ones own as show in this movie. That makes people more interesting. Enough of monotonous meat and potatoes I say !!
Relevant, witty, and uplifting.
This is a heartfelt, amusing film starring Aasif Mandvi, mostly known for his work as a Daily Show correspondent. It's not quite as funny as I expected from a comedian of his caliber; not because he tried and failed, but because it's more of a quirky story of a personal journey. But there were definitely a good number of lines that were so funny I had to repeat them out loud to myself. It's a bit slow in the beginning (could have used some tighter editing), but give it some time to build. Naseeruddin Shah is magic, as always. If you know his work, nothing more needs to be said. If not, watch this and enjoy. (And I gotta say, I think he looks damn good for his age!) It is not a coincidence that the song Akbar (Shah) is listening to when Samir (Mandvi) first meets him is from a classic Hindi film in which the character says that although all his clothes come from other countries, his heart is still Indian. Samir has tried to cut himself off from Indian traditions, even while his parents are attempting to shove them down his throat; the more they push, the more he pulls away, and vise versa. Throughout the film, with help from unexpected places, he learns to reconcile his western life with his heritage, and appreciate where he came from.
Excellent cast, story and direction
Today's Special is a movie with a great mix of humor, family, romance and humanity. It has nothing that I consider objectionable but I also think that it has very little that will appeal to kids. Although the end is a bit predictable and a bit slow at times (thus making it not a 10), it's one of the most entertaining films I've seen this year (and I've seen a lot of movies this year). I would like to know why I don't remember seeing Naseeruddin Shah (who plays the memorable character Akbar (the cab driver/chef))in a movie before. He's the best of an excellent cast. I found myself caring a great deal for the main character Samir (Assif Mandiv) which doesn't happen often in most movies I see (even the good ones). Today's Special centers entirely on the characters and the story. If your looking for a movie with lots of computer generated images (CGI) and/or other special effects and/or stunts and/or violence and/or action and/or sex, go see something else. It was nice to see a movie that doesn't stereotype Muslims as terrorists and that many in the audience clapped for when it was over. I think most adults who enjoy a few very good laughs and a good story will enjoy this movie a great deal.
Wow great movie... left me smiling =)
Saw this movie floating around on netflix. I was really bored one night and decided to check out the movie. I was glad I did, its one of those movies that just leaves you in a better mood than when you started: a feel good movie! The acting is good with really likable characters especially the cab driver/cook whose character I just love. I never really was a fan of The Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi. Didn't like the humor or anything too much but he is great in this movie and can actually act. Now fair warning, I liked this movie a lot in part due to my ability to relate/understand the culture behind the story (I am an Indian college student in the USA) and also love the old school Hindi songs in it (hooked me into the movie). The movie is also typical in some of its approach and formula, it isn't anything new or groundbreaking. But nonetheless it is very enjoyable and isn't just restricted to brown people lol. This movie is easy to relate to if you are a first generation foreigner (of any country IMO). It just enhances the movie experience. I'll definitely will be showing this movie to my friends. The movie fits a nice category of movies that isn't very abundant: a great light drama, semi romantic, light comedy. Another movie I would include in that category would be Morning Glory with Rachel McAdams. Bottomline: give this movie a chance and watch it, you won't be disappointed! Extra awesomeness--- Dennis Duffy (30 Rock) is in it (for a bit)! Love me some 30 Rock