I had a sneaky look at one of the ST ALi Italian Film Festival movies, The Perfect Dinner. The movie a sweet comedy about a Neopolitan mafioso family and an ambitious chef who cross paths in Rome. The movie provides a delightful escape from life and the delicious food is an added bonus.

Carmine (Salvatore Esposito) is a part of the Neapolitan mafioso, but is he really? According to crime boss Pasquale (Gianfranco Gallo) he’s not ready for the big time. As luck would have it Carmine’s father once saved Pasqual’s life and so the crime boss is indebted to him.

Having made one too many mistakes Carmine is forced to pack up and head north. There he must oversea one of Pasqual’s restaurants with the very clear instructions of “are you capable of doing nothing?’

On arriving at the restaurant he finds there is no atmosphere, no staff and no oven. Instead all he and his sidekick have to do is defrost frozen food meals in the microwave, issue receipts and wait for a big bag of money to be delivered each week.

Enter Consuelo (Greta Scarano), a chef who used to own the restaurant and dreams of winning a Michelin star. She is appalled at the meals being served in her old space and isn’t afraid to say so.

After several arguments Carmine decides to turn the space into a fine dining restaurant and hires Consuelo. He assumes this move will impress his boss as it will help hide the large volumes of cash being laundered through the restaurant. But first he has to find the cash to find his venture. Hmm what to do?

Soon the restaurant is up and running and doing extremely well. An array of stunning looking meals leave the kitchen pass. As Consuelo moves closer to her dream she lets her guard down and starts to trust Carmine. All is going well, until Pasqual decides to check out his investment and Carmine must put on the perfect dinner.

The Perfect Dinner is a simple story, a little predictable in parts, but still a nice Sunday afternoon escape. It’s worth adding to the mix, especially if most of the other movies you’re seeing at the Festival are heavy. The foodies will enjoy watching the meals evolve.

Rating 6.5/10

For more information about this movie and others in the Festival check out Luna Cinema and Palace Cinemas.