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No Reservations (2007)
Director: Scott Hicks
Movie review
From Time Out New York
Once upon a time, a spice known as CZJ—indigenous to Mumbles, Wales—emanated a delicious aroma of the Old Hollywood star trajectory: hoofer past, lavish wedding to a Tinseltown scion with a bad habit, endless lawsuits against tabloids. Whether added to Zorro movies, Entrapment, Chicago or T-Mobile ads, CZJ could always be relied upon to zest things up.
But in this fatally bland star vehicle, CZJ is piquant no more. Based on Mostly Martha, the 2001 German diversion, No Reservations has Welsh Spice playing control freak, awkward maternal figure, insecure suitor—and queen bee in the kitchen of a Bleecker Street bistro. Chef’s whites are not this extravagant diva’s color. Nothing in No Reservations (directed by Shine’s Scott Hicks and written by first-timer Carol Fuchs) allows the actor to bare her fangs à la Joan Crawford as the pie-baking Mildred Pierce. In fact, nothing that comes out of the actor’s mouth sounds even passably like authentic speech. Worse, CZJ and slab of meat Aaron Eckhart exhibit no chemistry (only Little Miss Sunshine registers as a plausible sentient being). But there’s hope: CZJ has been busy lately dismissing rumors that she washes her hair with caviar. If she wanted to save her career, she’d keep mum.
Author: Melissa Anderson
Time Out New York Issue 617: July 26–August 1, 2007
User reviews of this film
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- Philip Paris said...
- Posted on Mar 03 2008 14:26 After reading a number of reviews, it seems to me everyone is missing a crucial element of this movie. For much of the film, this is the story of a severely depressed young girl whose mother has been killed in a tragic auto accident! To think they could make a romantic comedy carrying this heavy burden was optimistic indeed. That the young lady in question has a magical recovery due to the attention of her aunt's competitor in the kitchen while hard to swallow, does serve to remove the gloom and allow for a bit of both romance and comedy in this film. Rating of three stars.
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- R Johnson said...
- Posted on Aug 08 2007 01:27 Great view of life. A good movie that should be seen by all because this kitchen makes trash look so much better than that usually served-up by Hollywood. The German version should get an one more star, however.
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- mystic said...
- Posted on Jul 30 2007 19:58 I cannot understand the low rating: I loved it. It's main flaw is seeing Jones' glamorous celebrity conflict with the character; But that's Holywood for you. To the film's credit though, there is not the gratuitous sex or breast shots that have become a staple of Hollywood. And the story is an accurate and even moving reflection of life's ups and downs, with good performances across the board.
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Cast & crew
Director: Scott Hicks
Producer: Kerry Heysen, Sergio Aguero
Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Bob Balaban, Patricia Clarkson, Brian O'Byrne full cast
Genre(s): Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rated: PG
Duration: 104 mins
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