The Linguini Incident 1991

Monte David Bowie is a British bartender who hopes to marry Lucy Rosanna Arquette, a waitress at the upscale restaurant where they work, largely to secure his green card and become an American citizen. He suggests the plan partly as a way to secure his future, even hinting at danger he faces if he returns to Britain. Lucy, meanwhile, is an aspiring escape artist drawn to the legacy of Houdini, and she views life through the lens of daring tricks and bold moves. She teams up with her friend Vivian, a lingerie designer, and together they hatch a scheme to rob the restaurant in order to fund their ambitions. Monte agrees to help with the robbery on the condition that Lucy agrees to marry him, tying his fate to hers in a high-stakes bargain.

The trio executes a plan that deviates from perfection but still achieves their goal. Lucy becomes the focal point of the ruse, while Vivian takes part in the audacious night-time heist, aided by the wealthy patrons who play along as if the theft were just a show. Although the robbery doesn’t unfold exactly as planned, its success gives the impression that the crime was carried out under the cover of an elaborate performance. Later, Lucy inadvertently misses the marriage registrar meeting with Monte, which costs him a two million dollar bet he had wagered with the restaurant owners—that he could marry a waitress in a week.

In a double-or-nothing twist, Monte bets on Lucy’s skills as an escape artist. He coerces the women into continuing the ruse, claiming that the bosses have uncovered the original robbery and that the show must go on. Vivian is coached by Monte and rehearses her escape routine, and the emotional tension between the participants intensifies as morning approaches. On the day of the underwater escape, Monte hands Lucy Bess Houdini’s wedding ring for luck, a sentimental prop that heightens the stakes of the performance. As the routine unfolds, Vivian conducts a second, hidden robbery, and the patrons play along with the illusion, treating it as part of the floor show.

When the escape reaches its climax, the bag in the water stops moving and Monte dives in to rescue Lucy, only to discover the bag is empty and Lucy has already completed her escape unscathed. The delighted restaurant owners honor the bet, and Lucy agrees to a date with Monte so they can get to know each other better, before they ultimately ride off with Vivian together, turning the night into a strangely triumphant escape story that blurs the lines between crime, art, and romance.