La cena perfetta

I'll admit that I watched this on an airplane, so the lovely pictures of exquisite food made me cry over the dreadful hot pocket of broccoli and cheese my captors served. The movie establishes the premise of a soft-hearted mobster with an almost believable back story. Unlike most mob-related dramadies (think "The Sopranos") this movie uses scenes of guns and gore sparingly. The theme of cooking and serving good food as redemption develops organically. The cast delivers low key culinary tourism, with shots of beautiful food and the fiery kitchen. A dinner debate over whether food is art, and a running commentary on the need for "soul" in creating memorable meals make this a film I will test my future meals against. I found myself wondering whether that scene was shot with real chefs. La Cena Perfetta makes me want to try to recreate my mother's bread.