No Reservations

Release date: July 27, 2007
Directed by: Scott Hicks
Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson

Catherine Zeta-Jones has publicly admitted that she has no cooking skills whatsoever. But in No Reservations, her portrayal of a woman who knows how to handle a kitchen is pretty convincing.

Zeta-Jones plays Kate, the head chef at 22 Bleecker, an upscale Manhattan restaurant owned by a sassy business woman, Paula (Clarkson). The problem with Kate is that she's your typical type-A personality — a perfectionist with no life outside of work and consummate control freak. Fed up with Kate's behaviour, Paula orders her to seek therapy, which doesn't really do much since Kate's ordered life is exactly how she likes it. When her sister dies and her niece Zoe (Breslin) is sent to live with her, everything changes.

Paula hires Nick (Eckhart), a trained Italian chef whose presence is welcomed by the entire kitchen staff, except Kate, who's grieving over the loss of her sister. As a result of several attempts on Nick's part to loosen Kate up, plus a little intervention from Zoe, she eventually realizes that it's OK to have a life outside of work. At this point, the film becomes about two people (Kate and Nick) who used to be afraid of taking chances; that is, until they met each other.

No Reservations is based on the German film Mostly Martha (2001), and even if you've seen the original, it's likely you'll also enjoy this version. Zeta-Jones and Eckhart have amazing chemistry. There's no question the multiple crying scenes with Abigail Breslin were difficult to shoot, but as you watch the young actress on screen, you can't help but think that it's only a matter of time before her awkwardness won't be considered cute. Until then, she's still one of the most popular child stars right now and nails her role here.

Ultimately, No Reservations is a good film with an endearing cast, but it's most suitable as a Sunday afternoon rental. It's also probably not a good idea to watch it on an empty stomach, because the food gets just as many close-ups as the actors.