Product Description

A perfectionist chef addicted to her work struggles to adjust when her sister passes away leaving her with a little girl to raise and a new soup-chef threatens to take over her kitchen with his high-spirited and free-wheeling ways.Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/ROMANTIC COMEDY UPC: 085391139072 Manufacturer No: 113907

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #312 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2008-02-12
• Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed in: French, Spanish
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 104 minutes

Amazon.com
Achieving balance in one's life can be a difficult process, but master chef Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones) leads a regimented, very ordered existence running the kitchen of an exclusive restaurant and revels in the sense of power and control her career affords. When Kate's sister is unexpectedly killed in an automobile accident and her 9-year old niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin) comes to live with Kate, Kate's life is turned completely upside down and she is suddenly forced to split her focus between work and family. Enter a newly hired, fun-loving, opera-singing sous chef Nick Palmer (Aaron Eckhart), whom Kate perceives as a serious rival, and thus begins an impassioned struggle on Kate's part to rein in Nick's exuberance and maintain control over her kitchen staff. Even as they clash, Kate is inexplicably drawn toward Nick, eventually coming to the realization that Nick offers something that she needs both in her restaurant kitchen and her new life with Zoe. Based on the screenplay for Mostly Martha, Catherine Zeta-Jones carries the lead well in this romantic comedy and there's a nice chemistry between herself and Aaron Eckhart as well as a poignant performance by Abigail Breslin. And, of course, and the food looks simply scrumptious. --Tami Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Just okay...
I have to agree with the other reviewers on this. The plot is wholly predictable though well acted. It hardly qualifies as a romantic comedy because it simply isn't funny. Kate's character arch does allow her to let people in, but I'm not sure how she got so closed off-especially since her sister seemed quite the opposite. There was no real obstacle keeping these two from each other and what paper thin conflict they did have is resolved rather effortlessly.

Terribly Unrealistic Remake of an Excellent Original
If a person had never before been to New York City, or to the United States, that person watching this movie could be forgiven for believing:

- New York City's street noises never invade any buildings
- All chefs live in $20 million apartments
- There are no people of color in New York City's Greenwich Village
- All restaurant kitchens are absolutely, impeccably sterile, roomy, and orderly.

I had seen the film Mostly Martha, coincidentally, less than one month before buying this movie. I didn't realize this movie is a remake--almost on a word-for-word basis--of that wonderful German film. But the American version, set on Manhattan, just doesn't ring true. There are three people of color in this entire movie: A school principal and two restaurant workers (there were perhaps three or four times as many non-White people in the German original). Even the shoppers in the background, walking the sidewalks of NYC's Village, are impeccably dressed Caucasians.

Abigail Breslin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Aaron Eckhart have all proven--in different vehicles--that they can act very well. None of them does so here. The performances are bland and unworthy of any viewer engagement.

Instead of this movie, please see the original film upon which it was based: Mostly Martha was excellent, featured wonderful performances, and--in wealthy Germany--the preponderance of wealthy, well-dressed White people rings much more true.

Never trust the re-make
This movie is based on a german film named "Bella Martha" which is actually one of my favorite movies. I couldn't even get through this one because it was so horrible in comparison.

The plot is basically the same - a control obsessed chef is burdened with her dead sister's daughter, and a new hire is making the moves on her. The characters have a lot more depth, though, and the cinematography is perfect with the different moods of the movie. If you were tempted at all by the plot of "No Reservations" go rent "Bella Martha" instead. Mostly Martha