Brooklyn Lobster

Infobox_Film
name = Brooklyn Lobster


director = Kevin Jordan
producer = Kevin Jordan
Darren Jordan
Chris Valentino
writer = Kevin Jordan
starring = Danny Aiello
Jane Curtin
Daniel Sauli
movie_music = Craig Maher
distributor = Meadowbrook Pictures
released = September 9, 2005
runtime = 90 minutes
language = English
imdb_id = 0401591
budget =

"Brooklyn Lobster" 2005 is a film directed, produced and written by Kevin Jordan and officially presented by Martin Scorsese. The feature premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival and has also been officially selected by the Hamptons International Film Festival, the Avignon Film Festival and the Bahamas International Film Festival.

Plot Synopsis

Frank Giorgio's once orderly life has been thrown into chaos since the bank that loaned him money for a restaurant addition to his lobster business has folded. With the threat of a public auction looming, the very proud and stubborn Frank, his family and eccentric crew attempt to save the Brooklyn lobster shop that is the cornerstone of their identity. Frank's son Michael, who has chosen a much different life for himself in the tech world of Seattle, and his girlfriend Kerry return home for Christmas and, for better or worse, are dragged into the family drama that unfolds. Michael’s childhood home has been sold, and his mother Maureen is separating from Frank. Over the course of two extraordinary weeks, he finds himself sleeping on a pull-out couch with his dad, catching wandering lobster crates in the bay and trying to mend his relationship with Kerry in a gaudy Russian motel. While Michael joins the sometimes humorous Lobster Farm rescue efforts, Maureen is trying to keep her distance, staying with her daughter, son-in-law Justin and baby granddaughter as she looks for a place to live and establish her own identity apart from the lobster business that has consumed her life, her house and her husband. Lauren, who has stood by her father working at the Lobster Farm, strives to keep the lines of communication open while the family struggles to hold it together despite the imminent threat to their business..

Inspiration

The inspiration for Brooklyn Lobster, starring Danny Aiello and Jane Curtin, came from Jordan's Lobster Dock in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. Writer/director Jordan wanted to bring the story of his family's lobster shop to life on the big screen. His grandfather, known as "the lobster king of New York," started the business back in 1938 on Bleecker Street in Manhattan and then moved it to Brooklyn. He was the first to air-ship lobsters packed in barrels of seaweed and is responsible for the glass lobster tanks found in local supermarkets today. The feature film loosely portrays Jordan's own family's struggle to keep their business afloat after a bank defaulted on the loan intended to help them build a restaurant extension.

Development

Jordan teamed up with his brothers Darren and Brian to create a ten-minute documentary on their family's shop to stir interest and raise funds for the narrative feature. After a screening and lobster party, sufficient funding was secured to start production. Casting director Phyllis Huffman (Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River) was the first to join the team. She got the script to Danny Aiello, who signed on immediately, and Jane Curtin soon joined the cast to play opposite him. The film was shot in less than five weeks on location in Brooklyn as well as in Manhattan and Long Island.We would like to give a special thanks to Anthony Gallo Nurseries of Brooklyn New York.

External links

* [http://www.brooklynlobster.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401591/ Brooklyn Lobster IMDB]
* [http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060323/REVIEWS/60323004/ Roger Ebert Review]
* [http://www.hartsharpvideo.com/catalog/drama/BROOKLYN%20L0BSTER.php/ On DVD]