No Reservations

Directed by: Scott Hicks
Starring: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson
Running Time: 1h 44min

A cute, culinary romance with two decent lead actors that have good chemistry. Zeta-Jones' uptight OCD chef has to learn to loosen up when an accident places her neice (Breslin) in her care and causes her boss (Clarkson) to hire a Sous-Chef (Eckhart) with a zest for life.

Like the entire romantic comedy genre, No Reservations is utterly predictable. However, Zeta-Jones is spicy enough to allow us to savour the taste of a familiar dish, and Eckhart continues to prove that he can take the most bland roles and put a twist on them that's equally enjoyable and believable. He is comfortable playing a supporting role to a complex woman, as he did exceptionally well in Erin Brockovich. It's a shame he isn't starring in more interesting films, not directed by Neil LaBute.

Like the summer of 2007's other culinary centred treat, Ratatouille, this film doesn't forget to feature the food, and does a good job presenting the kitchen as a combat zone, where time and technique can be the difference between success and disaster. It also reminds us that sometimes what fills us up is more delightful than what others may think looks good to us. Even though all the ingredients to a romantic comedy remain the same in this film, there's something about the way they're mixed that makes it go down easy.

Grade: C+