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 enlarge | Director: Scott Hicks
Actors: Catherine Zeta-jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson, Jenny Wade
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $4.76
You Save: $15.22 (76%)
New (58) Used (50) from $4.76
Rating:  77 reviews
Sales Rank: 175
Format: Ac-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 104 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: WARD113907D
UPC: 085391139072
EAN: 0085391139072
ASIN: B00005JPSM
Theatrical Release Date: July 27, 2007
Release Date: February 12, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Showing reviews 11-15 of 77
Lugubrious Hybrid of the Food Network and Lifetime Makes for an Attractive But Bland Movie September 15, 2008
Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Despite what I recall of the advertising campaign last year, this soft-hearted 2007 film is far less a Food Network-derived romantic comedy than a Lifetime-oriented drama about grief and work/life balance. Directed by Scott Hicks (Shine) and written by first-timer Carol Fuchs, this film offers the most insightful peek into the workings of an upscale Manhattan restaurant since 2000's Dinner Rush (i.e., if you don't count last year's CGI-generated, French food-fest, Ratatouille), but it also seems intent in splintering the story between the romantic sparks between the co-stars and the unexpected relationship that a single aunt forms with her orphaned niece. The result is heartwarming but rather diluted considering the potential inherent in the material presented. Hicks and Fuchs also seem intent on inserting predictable cliches along the way to reinforce the formulaic approach taken with the story.
Basically a remake of the 2001 German comedy, Mostly Martha, the plot centers on perfectionist chef Kate who runs a tightly efficient kitchen in a chic SoHo bistro. As a resolute overachiever, she is able to get up before dawn to get to the fish market and stay late at the restaurant making her impeccably presented dishes until closing. So tightly wound is Kate that restaurant owner Paula forces her to see a therapist to address her supposedly difficult personality. This is the first of several disconnects I had with the film as Kate strikes me as demanding but not particularly abusive to her staff. Regardless, her life is turned upside down by the sudden death of her sister and the addition of her niece Zoe to her structured life. As if that wasn't enough, Paula has hired Nick, a rowdy opera-loving sous-chef, to partner with Kate as she struggles with her personal transition at home. Taking a number from the Tracy-Hepburn manual for romantic comedy, tempers flare as do sparks. Zoe's recovery from her mother's death becomes a complicating factor, but the rest of the story plays out basically how you would presume.
More interesting in edgier, less sympathetic roles, Catherine Zeta-Jones plays the icier aspects of her role well, but she is markedly less arresting when her character turns warm and gooey. The script also doesn't really respect her character much since she is made to look overly foolish and insensitive in her early scenes as a struggling mother figure. Aaron Eckhart seems to be playing more of a plot device as Nick, but he does it well, and the requisite sparks occur with Zeta-Jones. Cornering the market on playing put-upon children, Abigail Breslin is fine as Zoe, even though she has to be glumly depressed for much of the film. The usually more dimensional Patricia Clarkson plays Paula as a surprisingly brittle, opportunistic character, while Bob Balaban isn't given much to do at all as Kate's therapist but act as a bromide. Stuart Dryburgh's autumnal cinematography makes all the food look good, the stars as well, and minimalist composer Philip Glass, of all people, provided the unobtrusive soundtrack dominated by Puccini, Verdi, and Flotow arias. The most significant bonus item on the 2008 DVD is a twenty-minute episode of the Food Network's Unwrapped which includes interviews with the film's stars and the real chefs who concocted the dishes in the movie.
 Lacklustre September 12, 2008
Patricia J. Renwick (RI, USA)
I like both Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart but they don't come across well in this film. She's stiff and unlikable, and he just doesn't fit the role of a passionate, opera-loving chef. Neither actor is helped by the fact that this movie isn't quite sure what it wants to be. It jumps haphazardly from drama to cliched scenes of pillow fighting and a particularly banal clip of a desperate Zeta-Jones interviewing a quick succession of odd looking people for a chef's job, which I assume was meant to be funny. Frankly I'm surprised it's tagged as a romantic comedy as there was very little to laugh about or find lovey dovey, although I did I cringe a few times.
I watched this movie on cable and I'm glad I never paid for the privilege. It's predictable Hollywood guff.
no problems September 9, 2008
S. C. Gabor (Las Vegas, NV USA)
Arrived in reasonable time and in the condition promised. I thought shipping and handling fees were high. Great movie.
Inoffensive, but could have been more August 31, 2008
Nicole Bradshaw (Jackson, MS USA)
No Reservations, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin, has a weak script but solid performances. If you're into food, you will probably be able to look past the film's weaknesses and enjoy it.
First of all, the movie is about two chefs. Kate (Zeta-Jones) is the executive chef at a tony New York restaurant. She is something of a control freak, and her work has become her life. Her sister (a single mom - the dad is nowhere to be found) and niece are coming up to visit, and enroute, they are involved in a car accident. The sister dies as a result, and she leaves her daughter Zoe (Breslin) to Kate. In the midst of this personal crisis, Kate must deal with a new sous-chef in her kitchen at work. Nick (Eckhart), an established chef in his own right, takes the job because he wants the opportunity to work with (and learn from) the well-respected Kate.
As Kate adjusts to being a mother, and as she tries to guide Zoe (and herself) through the tragedy of loss, a romantic relationship with Nick slowly develops. Kate finds herself confronting her own tendencies to sabotage love (she hasn't had a relationship in 3 years) while figuring out her new life.
While this script is no Oscar-winner, I liked the performances of all three principal actors. Plus, the movie is about two people who cook for a living, and food figured heavily in the scenes (which I can certainly appreciate).
This is an inoffensive dramedy, overall, but I wouldn't consider it a must-see. If you love food movies, I would more heartily recommend Babette's Feast; Like Water for Chocolate; Eat, Drink, Man, Woman; and Big Night.
A predictable story but enjoyable to watch. August 25, 2008
Raymond A. Cronin
This is one time when two chefs in the kitchen do not ruin the stew. An opportunity for you to see how hectic it can be in a professional kitchen. Loved the way Jones finally resolves the "rare steak" issue with a customer. Blu-ray is great.
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