Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

The Linguini Incident Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 23, 2024

One of the kind of cool "side effects" to the glut of physical media choices these days is that there's evidently a market for long forgotten films which have been either abandoned by their original distributor(s), or fallen through some kind of cracks into a netherworld of unclear rights holders. Just recently, some of the supplements on Too Much Sleep documented filmmaker David Maquiling spending decades to "rescue" that film from just such a predicament, ultimately leading to its release in high definition on Blu-ray. While details about what exactly happened with regard to The Linguini Incident are split between commentaries, interviews and the insert booklet on this release, something at least somewhat similar happened to co-writer and director Richard Shepard, who recounts his own trials and tribulations to get the rights back to his own film. Too Much Sleep was a decided underdog in terms of marquee stars, but The Linguini Incident boasts one of the more, um, eclectic casts from its era, with stars Rosanna Arquette (evidently cast in part due to her work in Desperately Seeking Susan) and David Bowie joined by a rather weird supporting cast which includes Marlee Matlin, Viveca Lindfors (!), Buck Henry and Eszter Balint.

The Linguini Incident kind of wants to be a cheeky heist and/or caper film, perhaps somewhat in the model of Gambit, but the decision to plop a variety of bizarre characters down into a patently surreal setting may not have been the smartest choice, at least in terms of delivering consistent tone and, probably more importantly, humor. This is a film that kind of uneasily posits Rosanna Arquette as a less than successful "escape artist" named Lucy, who works at a restaurant and club where the new bartender, Monte (David Bowie), shares her larcenous desires about the huge piles of moolah the joint rakes in daily. That sets a cartwheeling plot into motion that also involves Vivian (Ezster Balint), though even overt mentions of a ménage à trois are subsumed by Monte's equally unhidden desire to marry Lucy, something that unsurprisingly itself turns out be something of a grift.

The Linguini Incident is bursting with style, but as even Shepard admits in an interview, the film's "rhythm" can be off putting for some, and for me personally, the comedy never really connected. Instead, the film manages to coast somewhat amiably on the combined charisma of an unusual cast, buoyed by the piquant production design.

The Linguini Incident Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Linguini Incident is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of MVD Visual's MVD Marquee Collection imprint with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Richard Shepard goes into some detail about the long and winding road he and the film took to get this out on Blu-ray, but the bottom line is this was sourced from a 4K scan of the interpositive. The result is very nice looking for the most part, with a really lustrous accounting of a somewhat gonzo palette (especially in the restaurant scenes) and generally excellent detail levels, even in some less than fulsomely lit material. Find detail on things like fabrics (or even what Bowie cheekily called his "aluminum shirts") is commendable. Grain resolves naturally throughout.

The Linguini Incident Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Linguini Incident features LPCM 2.0 Mono audio. The upper end struck me as just a tad bright and thin sounding, but not to really problematic levels. Otherwise, the track is well balanced and provides nice support for Thomas Newman's score and dialogue (even Marlee Matlin gets a line, or least noise, or two). Optional English subtitles are available.

The Linguini Incident Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Director's Commentary is accessible under the Audio Menu.


• Director and Cast Commentary features Richard Shepard, Rosanna Arquette, Eszter Balint, co-rpoducer Sarah Jakcson, co- screenwriter Tamar Brott, and moderator Heath Holland and is accessible under the Audio Menu.


• The Making of The Linguini Incident (HD; 1:44:26) is an evidently recently produced piece with some really good, detailed interviews with a number of the principal cast and crew, including Shepard and Arquette.


• Original Theatrical Version (SD; 1:38:22) is cropped (Academy ratio) in addition to being in standard definition.


• Photo Gallery (HD; 5:55) includes memories related by Richard Shepard.


• Introduction by Richard Shepard (HD; 2:26) is accessible as a standalone supplement under the Bonus Menu, or under the Play Menu, where it's authored to lead directly to the main feature.


• 2024 Theatrical Trailer (HD; 1:42)


• Original Theatrical Trailer (HD; 2:18)

The keepcase features a reversible sleeve. The insert booklet contains an essay by Graham Rinaldi and a rather detailed account of the film's tortured history by Richard Shepard, but it sure looks to me like some editor futzed with Shepard's copy or alternatively some proofreader wasn't up to snuff, and therefore things are seriously out of order, to the point the sentences that "trail" over two pages don't make any sense. Packaging features a slipcover.

The Linguini Incident Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While I never personally saw it that way, The Linguini Incident evidently made regular appearances in the nascent days of cable, and the film developed an ardent fan base as a result of those repeated showings. This is one of those "acquired taste" experiences, but fans of the cast will probably enjoy the weirdnesses on tap. Technical merits are generally solid and the supplements are very appealing, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.