Today's Special
Release date: 2009-10-14
Votes: 101
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Young Manhattan chef Samir rediscovers his heritage and passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food.
Reviews
uNiversal
TODAY’S SPECIAL is a heartwarming comedy with a culinary flavor, co-written by Aasif Mandvi, Jonathan Bines, and directed by David Kaplan (Year of the Fish). It tells the story of Samir (Aasif Mandvi, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, THE LAST AIRBENDER) who is a sous chef who dreams of becoming the head chef at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. When he is passed over for a promotion he impulsively quits and lets his co-worker Carrie (Jess Weixler, TEETH) know that he intends to go to Paris and apprentice under a master French chef. Dreams must be put aside though after his father Hakim (Harish Patel, RUN FAT BOY RUN) has a heart attack and Samir is forced to take over Tandoori Palace, the nearly bankrupt family restaurant in Jackson Heights. Samir’s relationship with his parents and his heritage is immediately put to the test. He has been estranged from his father since the death of his older brother, and his mother Farrida, (played by legendary cookbook writer and actor, Madhur Jaffrey), is consumed with finding a wife for her remaining son. While Samir is being forced to forsake his dreams, he is desperately trying to master Indian cooking to salvage the family business. Luckily, he crosses paths with Akbar, a taxi driver, passionate chef, and worldly raconteur (portrayed by the icon of Indian cinema, Naseeruddin Shah, MONSOON WEDDING). Akbar inspires Samir and teaches him to trust his senses more than recipes; to stop measuring his life, and to start truly living it. With Akbar’s guidance, Samir has a chance to rediscover his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food. Today’s Special was inspired by the Obie Award winning play, Sakina’s Restaurant, a one man show written and performed by Aasif Mandvi, developed and directed by Kimberley Hughes.
Movie Recommendation
Big Night1996-09-20Primo and Secondo, two immigrant brothers, pin their hopes on a banquet honoring Louis Prima to save their struggling restaurant.More...
Little Men2016-08-05Jake is a quiet, sensitive middle schooler with dreams of being an artist. He meets the affably brash Tony at his grandfather's funeral, and the unlikely pair soon hit it off. The budding friendship is put at risk, however, when a rent dispute between Jake's father, Brian, and Tony's mother, Leonor, threatens to become contentious.More...
Love on the Sidelines2016-01-16A down-on-her-luck young woman who falls into a job as a personal assistant to a star quarterback sidelined with an injury. He's never had a female assistant before and she knows nothing about football.More...
Lucia's Grace2018-11-22During the evaluation of a plot of land, surveyor and distressed single mother Lucia meets a woman who claims to be the Virgin Mary.More...
Blow Dry2001-03-01The annual British Hairdressing Championship comes to Keighley, a town where Phil and son Brian run a barbershop and Phil's ex-wife Shelly and her lover Sandra run a beauty salon.More...
Toast2010-12-30Young Nigel Slater has big culinary aspirations, even though all his mother knows how to make is toast. When his mother dies, relations grow strained between Nigel and his father, especially when he remarries a woman who wins his heart with a lemon meringue pie. Nigel enters culinary school, starts working in a pub, and finds himself competing with his stepmother - both in the kitchen and for his father's attention.More...
Small Things Like These2024-11-01In 1985, while working as a coal merchant to support his family, Bill Furlong discovers disturbing secrets kept by the local convent and uncovers truths of his own; forcing him to confront his past and the complicit silence of a small Irish town controlled by the Catholic Church.More...
Night Train to Lisbon2013-03-07Raimund Gregorius, having saved a beautiful Portuguese woman from leaping to her death, stumbles upon a mesmerizing book by a Portuguese author, which compels him to suddenly abandon the boring life he has led for years and to embark on an enthralling adventure. In search of the author, Gregorius acts as detective, pulling together pieces of a puzzle that involves political and emotional intrigue and the highest possible stakes. His voyage is one that transcends time and space, delving into the realms of history, medicine and love, all in search of true meaning to his life.More...
Love Wrecked2005-11-0118-year-old Jenny Taylor is ecstatic when she finds out that her favorite rock star, Jason Masters, is a guest at the tropical resort where she is working for the summer. When they are both thrown overboard during a Caribbean cruise, she saves his life and they find themselves stranded on a remote beach. Deliriously in love with the idea of time alone with him, she manages to hide the fact that they're a stone's throw away from their resort.More...
Gambit2012-04-25An art curator decides to seek revenge on his abusive boss by conning him into buying a fake Monet, but his plan requires the help of an eccentric and unpredictable Texas rodeo queen.More...
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein1994-11-04Victor Frankenstein is a promising young doctor who, devastated by the death of his mother during childbirth, becomes obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. His experiments lead to the creation of a monster, which Frankenstein has put together with the remains of corpses. It's not long before Frankenstein regrets his actions.More...
Four Christmases2008-11-26Brad and Kate have made something of an art form out of avoiding their families during the holidays, but this year their foolproof plan is about go bust -- big time. Stuck at the city airport after all departing flights are canceled, the couple is embarrassed to see their ruse exposed to the world by an overzealous television reporter. Now, Brad and Kate are left with precious little choice other than to swallow their pride and suffer the rounds.More...
The Riot Club2014-09-19Two first-year students at Oxford University join a secret society and learn that their reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of one evening.More...
The Tuxedo2002-09-27Cabbie-turned-chauffeur Jimmy Tong learns there is really only one rule when you work for playboy millionaire Clark Devlin : Never touch Devlin's prized tuxedo. But when Devlin is temporarily put out of commission in an explosive accident, Jimmy puts on the tux and soon discovers that this extraordinary suit may be more black belt than black tie. Paired with a partner as inexperienced as he is, Jimmy becomes an unwitting secret agent.More...
Free State of Jones2016-06-24In 1863, Mississippi farmer Newt Knight serves as a medic for the Confederate Army. Opposed to slavery, Knight would rather help the wounded than fight the Union. After his nephew dies in battle, Newt returns home to Jones County to safeguard his family but is soon branded an outlaw deserter. Forced to flee, he finds refuge with a group of runaway slaves hiding out in the swamps. Forging an alliance with the slaves and other farmers, Knight leads a rebellion that would forever change history.More...
Circle2015-05-28In a massive, mysterious chamber, fifty strangers awaken to find themselves trapped with no memory of how they got there. Organized in an inward-facing circle and unable to move, they quickly learn that every two minutes, one of them must die…executed by a strange device in the center of the room.More...
The Call2013-03-14Jordan Turner is an experienced 911 operator but when she makes an error in judgment and a call ends badly, Jordan is rattled and unsure if she can continue. But when teenager Casey Welson is abducted in the back of a man's car and calls 911, Jordan is the one called upon to use all of her experience, insights and quick thinking to help Casey escape, and not just to save her, but to make sure the man is brought to justice.More...
The Little Prince2015-07-29Based on the best-seller book 'The Little Prince', the movie tells the story of a little girl that lives with resignation in a world where efficiency and work are the only dogmas. Everything will change when accidentally she discovers her neighbor that will tell her about the story of the Little Prince that he once met.More...
The Legend of Tarzan2016-06-29Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.More...
Captain Phillips2013-10-10The true story of Captain Richard Phillips and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.More...
Similar Movies
The Party Is Over
2015-05-01"The Party Is Over" tells the story of three unusual guys who are roommates at a Southern California university and whose privileged lifestyle and the freedom that goes with it lead to bizarre and obsessive, even twisted, relationships with three equally complicated women.American Sharia
2015-02-01Fast paced, action packed comedy. Tension flares in The Motor City as Officer Richardson profiles every Muslim he sees as a terrorist. He goes on an arrest frenzy, which makes the community activists, Jihad and Osama take to the streets and rally the people to stand up for their rights. The Chief of Police wants to gain the trust of the Muslim community in order to get re-elected, but Attorney Leila Rodriguez is standing in the way with a discrimination law suit against Officer Richardson and the Motor City Police Department. The Chief calls on his most unreliable detective, Mohammed and partners him with a Middle Eastern, Sharia Law fanatic, Detective Abdul. The Chief wants them to "Speak Muslim To The Muslims" which he thinks will guarantee his re-election. - Written by Omar ReganThe Golden Apron
2025-03-21A mockumentary that follows the 5 main contestants of The Golden Apron contest, a competition in search of "the greatest home chef in America", being held by a nefarious food manufacturing company with their own corporate agenda.Sunday
1997-05-01Mistaking a homeless man for a famous director, a British actress seeks career help from him.Danger Street
1947-06-20Magazine owners sell a revealing photo, then play detective when the deal leads to murder.Jadoo
2013-09-06This comedy revolves around two brothers, both wonderful chefs, who fall out catastrophically. At the climax of their dispute they rip the family recipe book in half - one brother gets the starters and the other gets the main courses. They set up rival restaurants, across the road from each other, and spend the next twenty years trying to out-do each other. Neither brother will admit it but they both know they are not entirely successful in the 'other half' of the menu. It takes a daughter - a successful corporate lawyer marrying a man from a very different background - to reunite them. She is planning her marriage and is determined that they will both cook the wedding banquet.In the Weeds
2000-06-11It's Martha's first night as a waitress in an upscale New York restaurant. Veteran Chloe shows her the ropes and introduces her to the lives of the restaurant staff. Adam, a hopeful playwright, suffers for his art while dealing with a very indecisive (ex-?)girlfriend. Marlon is a cocky young actor, certain that his big break is just around the corner. When the restaurant's obnoxious owner, Simon, brings a special client in for dinner, pressures mount until an explosion seems inevitable.Alex Edelman: Just fo...
2024-04-06After an acclaimed, extended run on Broadway, comedian Alex Edelman brings his solo show to HBO in an all-new comedy special. In the wake of a string of anti-Semitic threats pointed in his direction online, Edelman decides to go straight to the source; specifically, Queens, where he covertly attends a meeting of White Nationalists and comes face-to-face with the people behind the keyboards.A Royal Queens Christ...
2021-12-11A prince finds his way to Queens during Christmas when a local woman enlists his help with a children's Christmas show.The Lunchbox
2013-09-20A mistaken delivery in Mumbai's famously efficient lunchbox delivery system (Mumbai's Dabbawallahs) connects a young housewife to a stranger in the dusk of his life. They build a fantasy world together through notes in the lunchbox. Gradually, this fantasy threatens to overwhelm their reality.The Hundred-Foot Jour...
2014-08-06A story centered around an Indian family who moves to France and opens a restaurant across the street from a Michelin-starred French restaurant.Splendor in the Grass...
1961-10-10A fragile Kansas girl's unrequited and forbidden love for a handsome young man from the town's most powerful family drives her to heartbreak and madness.Desi Standard Time Tr...
2022-08-13When a new father suddenly loses his own dad, an opportunity to travel back in time for an evening gives him a chance to end things on a better note.3 Men and a Little La...
1990-11-21Sylvia's work increasingly takes her away from the three men who help bring up Mary, her daughter. When she decides to move to England and take Mary with her, the three men are heartbroken at losing the two most important females in their lives.Coming 2 America
2021-03-04Prince Akeem Joffer is set to become King of Zamunda when he discovers he has a son he never knew about in America – a street savvy Queens native named Lavelle. Honoring his royal father's dying wish to groom this son as the crown prince, Akeem and Semmi set off to America once again.Queens Logic
1991-02-01When childhood friends Al, Dennis and Eliot get together for Ray's wedding, which may or may not happen, they end up on a roller-coaster ride through reality. During one tumultuous, crazy weekend, they face adulthood and each other with new found maturity and discover what Queens Logic is all about. This comedy takes a look at friendship, loyalty, and love.CASHED
2020-07-22After a rare night of drinking on her 25th birthday, Jess wakes up to a wicked hangover and surprise unemployment. As she struggles with whether or not to spend her last few bucks on weed, she tries to pick up the pieces of her life and find some peace of mind in the process.Waiting to Die in Bay...
2017-04-22A frizzy-haired hypochondriac who’s convinced she’s dying, 15-year-old Jordyn lives in a small co-op apartment in the predominantly Jewish middle-class suburb of Bayside, Queens in 1976.Gandhi Park
2008-09-16Queens girl Priyanka is due to marry in New Delhi in a traditional arranged marriage to Sanjeev. But her heart belongs to Bobby, a young American musician. Her inner and outer conflicts with her traditional father, Sammy, a loving but controlling paterfamilias, collides head on with the freedom to do what her heart tells herBusiness Card
No data for this movieWhen three friends find a crumbled old love letter, they begin to imagine the story that lies behind it, uncovering the "truth" of a father's hidden life and the betrayals to his family.