No Reservations

Watching this movie at first, remind me of Ratatouille. An animated film about a rat who can cook very well, and end up helping a real cook who can not cook at all.


Kate, played by Catherine Zeta Jones is a top chef in a small but sophisticated restaurant called 22 Bleecker street in downtown New York. She has a very discipline, perfectionist, no-nonsense and uptight attitude that made her very hard to approach. But she is a very good chef. She works till late in the evening to made dishes, coordinate the kitchen, and greet fans who has come to that restaurant to enjoy her cooking. She also very high-tempered, and will charge instantly to any customer who thinks that the perfect cooking that she has prepared is still lacking.

Her life was changed when one day suddenly she lost a sister to an accident, and as the only relatives, she has to take care of Zoe, the daughter of her sister, played well by Abigail Breslin.

As days goes by, Kate has to face fact that she is not living alone anymore, and she has to adapt to Zoe, and be a mother for her too. This turns out to be not that easy. She has to divide her time between Zoe and the restaurant. To assist Kate,the owner of the restaurant hire a help in the kitchen, a talented chef name Nick. Nick turns out to be a very fun person. This opera-singing chef brings happiness to people around him, and everybody love him because of that.

Initially, Kate went cold to him, but gradually started to like him of his fun attitude, especially when he can make Zoe cheer up again.

This movie is an adaptation of a 2001 German movie called 'Mostly Martha. I read about "Mostly Martha" on the web. and it was nicely done movie, critics said. But "No Reservations" is not doing it the same. To tell you the truth, i can always tell if a movie turns out to be good or bad, in the first 15 minutes of the movie. And "No Reservations" really bored me to death in the first 15 minutes.

Everything going slowly. And after 15 minutes passed by, i can predict what will happen in the end. I think the writer got confused trying to focus in which genre. is it the romantic-comedy genre, or the sad-drama about a child trying to cope for her mother's death. This movie is trying to fit both genres in, and end up dissapointing.

I will not recommend this movie to be watched. But maybe if youre still dont have anything better to do, and you have no HBO at home, you can go spend the money to watch this movie. I will strongly suggest you to wait until the dvd available in ambas. hehehe...

here's a trivia: in almost every outdoor scene, theres someone in the background walking his/her dog, no matter day or night..just watch..