Another Thanksgiving has come and gone, signifying that Christmas is officially upon us. To get into the holiday spirit, you can check out the romantic comedy that Netflix recently added to their library called Feast of the Seven Fishes.
The plot follows the story of Tony Oliverio, a young Italian-American portrayed by Skyler Gisondo living near the Monongahela River in 1983. When he brings an Ivy-League Protestant girl named Beth (Madison Iseman) home for his family’s annual Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve, cultures clash as you are introduced to a familiar Italian-American holiday tradition.
The movie features several prominent actors like Joe Pantoliano and Ray Abruzzo, who you may better know as Ralph Cifaretto and Little Carmine Lupertazzi from The Sopranos, along with fellow HBO alumnus Paul Ben-Victor from the hit drama series The Wire. Tony’s cousin Angelo is also played by famous stand-up comedian Andrew Schulz, while the rest of the cast is rounded out with the likes of Jessica Darrow, Addison Timlin, Josh Helman, and Lynn Cohen.
Released in 2019 by Shout! Studios, the movie is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name by Robert Tinnell. The graphic novel was well received by the public and critics upon its release in 2005, being nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album – Reprint, and the film was no different. With an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie also won the Audience Choice Award at the Heartland International Film Festival.
Comments from top critics include:
“If your parents or grandparents were immigrants to the United States, you’re likely to recognize your family here, no matter what holiday you celebrate or what elaborate meals you cook to mark the occasion.”
Alonso Duralde – TheWrap
“Buoyed by enjoyable performances by character actors like Paul Ben-Victor, the pic is slight but likeable, especially for fans of its younger leads.”
John DeFore – Hollywood Reporter
“Tinnell gets terrific performances up and down the cast: from the talented up-and-coming youngsters like Gisondo to veteran character actors like Joe Pantoliano, Paul Ben-Victor and Lynn Cohen.”
Noel Murray – Los Angeles Times
If you don’t have a Netflix subscription, the film can also be streamed for free on Peacock or Tubi.
Resources:
- Feast of the Seven Fishes [Rotten Tomatoes]
Looking forward to watching the movie but can’t help thinking why there aren’t more Italian Americans cast in the movie?
Great movie I miss those days with my family when living back in long island New York.