USA
1997, 16mm, Color, 90 min.
Directors: Robert Pulcini, Shari Springer Berman
Producer: Julia Strohm
Executive Producers: Diandra Douglas, Alicia Sams
Cinematographers: Ken Kobland, Sandra Chandler
Editor: Robert Pulcini
Music: Mark Suozzo
Irreverent, funny and suffused with Hollywood glitz, Off the Menu
captures the real life humor and drama surrounding the end of an era. This
verite narrative documents the dramatic last two weeks of legendary Chasen's
restaurant, juxtaposing the deepening sadness of the longtime staff with the
mounting frenzy for reservations by Hollywood's elite. As the clock ticks
towards the restaurant's final day of operation, the film chronicles the
last Oscar party, the last catered wedding in the bustling banquet room, and
the tearful farewells of closing night. Eras collide as dozens of celebrity
patrons reminisce. But the real stars of the film are the staff themselves,
the compulsively elegant waiters who have committed their lives to serving
the rich and famous. Off tbe Menu unfolds like a Beverly Hills
Upstairs/Downstairs, where longtime waiters, bartenders, coat-checkers and
captains have each become as legendary as their famed clientele.
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