The Linguini Incident

A British bartender, Monte, hopes to marry Lucy, a waitress at the upscale restaurant where they work, ostensibly so he can obtain his green card and become an American citizen. Monte alludes to likely being killed if he returns to Britain.

The waitress, Lucy, is an aspiring escape artist who is fixated on the legacy of Harry Houdini. She and her friend Vivian, a lingerie designer, conspire to rob the restaurant in order to fund their ambitions. Monte agrees to help with the robbery if Lucy agrees to marry him.

Although the robbery does not occur precisely according to plan, the trio are successful. However, Lucy later inadvertently forgets to meet Monte at the marriage registrar, causing him to lose a two million dollar bet with the restaurant owners that he could marry a waitress in a week.

In a double or nothing scenario, Monte wagers Lucy’s skills as an escape artist. He tricks the women into playing along, claiming that the bosses have uncovered the robbery. Monte and Vivian drill Vivian in practicing her escape routine, and the morning before her performance, she and Monte make love.

As Lucy starts her routine, in which she must escape from handcuffs and a locked mailbag while underwater, Monte gives her Bess Houdini’s wedding ring, which she had been desperate to buy, for luck. During the performance, Vivian robs the restaurant a second time, with the wealthy patrons playing along with the robbery that they think is a floor show. After several minutes the bag stops moving and Monte dives into the tank to save Lucy, but finds it empty, and Lucy appears unharmed with the escape completed. The delighted restaurant owners pay the bet, and Lucy agrees to a date with Monte so the can get to know each other better before riding off with Vivian .

Last Updated: November 25, 2025 at 11:28