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Year One
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Restaurant

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 12 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 1 votes
Read user comments
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Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by: Tom Cudworth
Directed by: Eric Bross
Release Date:
Theatrical: April 7, 2000
DVD: August 22, 2000
Running Time: 107 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for sexuality, language and drug use
Starring Adrien Brody, Elise Neal, David Moscow, Simon Baker, Malcolm Jamal-Warner, and Lauryn Hill
Restaurant spins the tale of a group of young friends struggling to keep their dreams alive in Hoboken, New Jersey. The stories of these twenty-somethings intersect at J.T. McClure's, an upscale bar and grill where most of them make a living while chasing their ambitions on their days off. (Palisades Pictures)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
LA Weekly F. X. Feeney
A sharp, upbeat, well-wrought meditation on love and race that kicks the new year in movies off to a terrific start.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Bruce Fretts
Tom Cudworth's script nails the ale-drenched details of twentysomething existence.
Read Full Review >Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard
Juggles a few too many subplots, cramming in more issues than your average nightly newscast. But more often than not, this is a film to savor.
Read Full Review >Film.com Ernest Hardy
The film gets an "A" for effort, but doesn't have the courage to really get as bloody, messy and dirty as its subject matter inherently is.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A. O. Scott
It takes very good actors to convey this kind of nuance, and the cast of Restaurant does consistently splendid work.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
Solid performances, capable visuals, and the honesty of the interracial subject matter make Restaurant stand out from the typical "I'm an artist, not really a waiter" pack.
Read Full Review >Chicago Tribune John Petrakis
Some films, oddly enough, can be too ambitious for their own good, which is the case with Restaurant.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris
If Restaurant feels like a high-caliber TV drama, it's one that tries to pack an entire season (plus pilot, plus backstory) into one episode.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Jonathan Rosenbaum
Pretty familiar stuff, but the performances--by Adrien Brody, Elise Neal, Simon Baker-Denny, and Lauryn Hill--are relatively fresh and sincere.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Steve Simels
Cudworth's script gives the characters more depth than is the genre norm, and the ensemble acting is terrific.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Amy Taubin
Director Eric Bross has a smooth nonstyle that serves him well until the screenplay turns melodramatic at the end.
Read Full Review >Film.com John Hartl
It's hard to think of a single memorable line from Restaurant, even a memorably bad one.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Patrice gave it an 8:
I won't lie. This film made an impact only because of the performances by Brody and Moscow. They both add an element to the film that truly brought words on paper to life. I loved the topics being addressed, but there was a great deal trying to be covered throughout the film.
