Brooklyn Lobster
Encyclopedia
Brooklyn Lobster is a 2005
American
drama film
"presented" by Martin Scorsese
and written, produced, and directed by Kevin Jordan. The screenplay is based on Jordan's family's efforts to salvage their Brooklyn
-based wholesale
and retail
seafood operation
when the bank defaulted
on a loan they had secured to finance a restaurant extension to the business.
demands he repay the loan in full immediately. With the threat of a public auction
looming, the very proud and stubborn Frank, his family, and eccentric crew rally to save the business.
Frank's son Michael, who works in the tech world of Seattle, and his girlfriend Kerry return home for Christmas
and are dragged into the family drama. Michael’s childhood home has been sold, and his mother Maureen, who has separated from Frank and is hoping to establish her own identity apart from the business that has consumed her life, is scheduled to move into a rental house after the holidays. Over the course of two weeks, Michael finds himself sleeping on a pull-out couch with his father in Frank's office, catching wandering lobster crates in the bay, and trying to mend his relationship with Kerry after his father assaults her uncle. Meanwhile, his sister Lauren, who has worked with her father since graduating from college, is striving to keep the lines of communication open among all the family members.
In the end, Frank's longtime customer and friend Bill Lau offers the highest bid on the property, with the idea he and Frank will complete construction of the restaurant and operate it as partners.
release of the film, Kevin and Darren Jordan discuss family events that inspired them to develop the film. In 1938, their grandfather established a seafood business on Bleecker Street
in Manhattan
, and later moved it to a waterfront location in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn where, under the name Jordan's Lobster Dock, it became a popular local landmark. Their father Bill decided to expand the operation by adding a restaurant, but midway through construction the bank that loaned him money to finance the project failed, and the FDIC demanded full repayment of the loan, placing the family in a financial bind.
The film was shot in less than five weeks on the actual site of the Jordan business, as well as in Chinatown
and Rockville Centre. All members of Jordan's immediate family had cameo roles
.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
and was shown at the Hamptons International Film Festival
, the Avignon Film Festival, and the Bahamas International Film Festival
. It went into theatrical release in the US on November 4, 2005 and earned $11,729 in two theaters on its opening weekend. It eventually grossed a total of $138,267.
of the Chicago Sun-Times
said the film "has a spontaneous, confident realism about it" and added, "Brooklyn Lobster is a sweet and touching film, worth a visit."
Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune
awarded the film three out of four stars, calling it "the kind of smart, realistic indie
family drama the movies should give us more often, just as they should more often offer performances as full-blooded and rich as Aiello's and Curtin's here."
Joe Leydon of Variety
said, "Despite worthy contributions on both sides of the camera, Brooklyn Lobster comes across primarily as a showcase for Danny Aiello in a powerhouse performance . . . Character's multiple mid-life crises could make this genuinely engaging drama especially appealing to older viewers."
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
"presented" by Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
and written, produced, and directed by Kevin Jordan. The screenplay is based on Jordan's family's efforts to salvage their Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
-based wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
and retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
seafood operation
Fish marketing
Fish marketing, is the marketing and sale of fish products.-Live fish trade:The live fish trade is a global system that links fishing communities with markets, primarily in Hong Kong and mainland China...
when the bank defaulted
Default (finance)
In finance, default occurs when a debtor has not met his or her legal obligations according to the debt contract, e.g. has not made a scheduled payment, or has violated a loan covenant of the debt contract. A default is the failure to pay back a loan. Default may occur if the debtor is either...
on a loan they had secured to finance a restaurant extension to the business.
Plot synopsis
Frank Giorgio's life is thrown into chaos when the bank that loaned him money for a restaurant addition to his seafood business folds and the FDICFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation is a United States government corporation created by the Glass–Steagall Act of 1933. It provides deposit insurance, which guarantees the safety of deposits in member banks, currently up to $250,000 per depositor per bank. , the FDIC insures deposits at...
demands he repay the loan in full immediately. With the threat of a public auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
looming, the very proud and stubborn Frank, his family, and eccentric crew rally to save the business.
Frank's son Michael, who works in the tech world of Seattle, and his girlfriend Kerry return home for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and are dragged into the family drama. Michael’s childhood home has been sold, and his mother Maureen, who has separated from Frank and is hoping to establish her own identity apart from the business that has consumed her life, is scheduled to move into a rental house after the holidays. Over the course of two weeks, Michael finds himself sleeping on a pull-out couch with his father in Frank's office, catching wandering lobster crates in the bay, and trying to mend his relationship with Kerry after his father assaults her uncle. Meanwhile, his sister Lauren, who has worked with her father since graduating from college, is striving to keep the lines of communication open among all the family members.
In the end, Frank's longtime customer and friend Bill Lau offers the highest bid on the property, with the idea he and Frank will complete construction of the restaurant and operate it as partners.
Production
In a bonus feature on the DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of the film, Kevin and Darren Jordan discuss family events that inspired them to develop the film. In 1938, their grandfather established a seafood business on Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street
Bleecker Street is a street in New York City's Manhattan borough. It is perhaps most famous today as a Greenwich Village nightclub district. The street is a spine that connects a neighborhood today popular for music venues and comedy, but which was once a major center for American bohemia.Bleecker...
in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, and later moved it to a waterfront location in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn where, under the name Jordan's Lobster Dock, it became a popular local landmark. Their father Bill decided to expand the operation by adding a restaurant, but midway through construction the bank that loaned him money to finance the project failed, and the FDIC demanded full repayment of the loan, placing the family in a financial bind.
The film was shot in less than five weeks on the actual site of the Jordan business, as well as in Chinatown
Chinatown, Manhattan
Manhattan's Chinatown , home to one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the Western hemisphere, is located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
and Rockville Centre. All members of Jordan's immediate family had cameo roles
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and was shown at the Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to provide a forum for independent filmmakers from around the world to express their vision. The Festival is traditionally held for five days in mid-October in theatre venues from Montauk to Southampton and attracts roughly 15,000 visitors annually...
, the Avignon Film Festival, and the Bahamas International Film Festival
Bahamas International Film Festival
Bahamas International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in early December in the Bahamas, founded in 2004.The Bahamas International Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the local community and international visitors with a diverse presentation of films...
. It went into theatrical release in the US on November 4, 2005 and earned $11,729 in two theaters on its opening weekend. It eventually grossed a total of $138,267.
Cast
- Danny AielloDanny AielloDaniel Louis "Danny" Aiello, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous motion pictures, including Once Upon a Time in America, Ruby, The Godfather: Part II, Hudson Hawk, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Moonstruck, Léon, Two Days in the Valley, and Dinner Rush...
..... Frank Giorgio - Jane CurtinJane CurtinJane Therese Curtin is an American actress and comedienne. She is commonly referred to as Queen of the Deadpan.First coming to prominence as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live in 1975, she went on to win back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series on the 1980s...
..... Maureen Giorgio - Daniel Sauli ..... Michael Giorgio
- Heather BurnsHeather Burns- Life and career :Burns was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Chicago Bull and U.S. Attorney Jim Burns. She is engaged to fellow actor Ajay Naidu, her high school boyfriend. Heather attended and graduated from Evanston Township High School. She is a graduate of New York University's...
..... Kerry Miller - Marisa RyanMarisa RyanMarisa Ryan is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Elizabeth Cooper McGillis in the television sitcom Major Dad, she also co-starred as Det...
..... Lauren Georgio Wallace - Ian KahnIan KahnIan Kahn is an American actor known for his recurring role of "Davis Nixon" on ABC's The Unusuals. His starring role on the US TV series Bull, a recurring guest-starring role on Dawson's Creek...
..... Justin Wallace - Rick Aiello ..... Tommy
- Sam Freed ..... James Miller
- Barbara GarrickBarbara GarrickBarbara Garrick is an American actress who portrayed DeDe Halcyon Day in the three television miniseries based on Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City novels. She was nominated for a Gemini Award in 1999 for Further Tales of the City.Garrick was born in Los Angeles, California and graduated from...
..... Lynn Miller - Henry Yuk ..... Bill Lau
- Tom MasonTom Mason (actor)Tom Mason is an American actor born in Brooklyn, New York. He began his television career in 1977, portraying Rex Stout's fictional detective Archie Goodwin in the ABC-TV movie Nero Wolfe...
..... Chuck Miller
Critical reception
Roger EbertRoger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
said the film "has a spontaneous, confident realism about it" and added, "Brooklyn Lobster is a sweet and touching film, worth a visit."
Michael Wilmington of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
awarded the film three out of four stars, calling it "the kind of smart, realistic indie
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
family drama the movies should give us more often, just as they should more often offer performances as full-blooded and rich as Aiello's and Curtin's here."
Joe Leydon of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
said, "Despite worthy contributions on both sides of the camera, Brooklyn Lobster comes across primarily as a showcase for Danny Aiello in a powerhouse performance . . . Character's multiple mid-life crises could make this genuinely engaging drama especially appealing to older viewers."
External links
- Brooklyn Lobster at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...