Review:
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...more
Extras:
"Unwrapped": Host marc
Summers visits the set;
more.
Movie Spotlight
No Reservations Release
Date: July 27, 2007 Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Director: Scott Hicks Screenwriter: Carol Fuchs, Sandra Nettelbeck Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron
Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson, Jenny Wade, Lily Rabe Genre: Drama, Romance MPAA Rating: PG (for some sensuality and
language) Official Website:
NoReservationsmovie.WarnerBros.com
Plot Summary:
Master chef Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones)
lives her life like she runs her kitchen at a trendy Manhattan eatery—with a
no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her.
Kate's perfectionist nature is put to the test when she "inherits" her
nine-year-old niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin), while contending with a brash new
sous-chef who joins her staff. High-spirited and freewheeling, Nick Palmer
(Aaron Eckhart) couldn't be more different from Kate, yet the chemistry between
them is undeniable. Rivalry becomes romance, but Kate will have to learn to
express herself beyond the realm of her kitchen if she wants to connect with Zoe
and find true happiness with Nick.
EN 5 Second Review:
Decent movie, but nonetheless a chick flick that we will
be forced to watch on DVD
Painted with a lightweight, pleasing brush.
Peter Veugelaers: EntertainmenNutz.com
Scene one has Chef Kate (Zeta-Jones) describing her delectable
mouth-watering delicacies to her therapist (Balaban). Oh for the
gloriousness of gourmet food. There’s plenty of it in this movie. Diced,
split, and photographed in action on the dicing board from the kitchen
of a high class New York restaurant where advertising executives dine
and premiere chefs eye to work with the top brass. Food designing
becomes a metaphor for Kate’s life of perfection and precision, the
layers of which are chipped away...
It's
not exactly revolutionary territory but it is effectively presented and
it will be hard to find viewers who aren't at least a little moved by
what director Scott Hicks has placed on the screen James Berardinelli: Reelviews No Reservations is an adequate adaptation of Sandra
Nettelbeck's 2001 German feature, Mostly Martha. While not as
emotionally resonant as its inspiration and tending a little more toward
melodrama, No Reservations is nevertheless a uplifting tale about
love melting the heart of a cold, lonely woman...more
A
culinary misfire whose comic ingredients fail to coalesce Kirk Honeycutt: Hollywood Reporter
"No Reservations" is that rare thing -- an almost literal
American remake of a foreign film, in this case
writer-director Sandra Nettelbeck's "Mostly Martha." Which
means that no one on this side of the Atlantic solved the
problems of the original film, and therefore they carry over
into this character-driven comedy about food, love and
gourmet chefs...more
Release
Date: July 27, 2007
EN 5 Second Review:
Decent movie, but nonetheless a chick flick that we will
be forced to watch on DVD
