No Reservations

Film

Romance

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Time Out rating:

<strong>Rating: </strong>2/5

User ratings:

<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5
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Time Out says

Fri Aug 24 2007

A control-freak chef is forced to embrace chaos in this romantic comedy-drama based on the German hit ‘Mostly Martha’. Catherine Zeta-Jones is Kate, head chef at a glamorous restaurant in New York. With a routine of work, therapy and more work, she thinks her life is sorted. Enter Zoe (Abigail Breslin), Kate’s newly bereaved niece, closely followed by Nick (Aaron Eckhart), a free-wheeling Italian sous-chef who likes to sing opera and spill pasta. Kate’s struggles with Zoe – to her something of an alien invasion – invite some involving dramatic moments and some comedy. But Eckhart is the wrong choice for a romantic lead – there’s still a touch of the superciliousness that makes him such a great anti-hero – and the film goes for long stretches without either laughs or pathos. With its textbook sentiment and miscast adult leads, this suffers in comparison to the German original, which was genuinely – not Hollywood – quirky. Die-hard romantics may forgive it plenty; others may prefer to check out the original.

Author: Anna Smith

10

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Release details

UK release:

Fri Aug 31 2007

Duration:

104 mins

Cast and crew

Cast:

Patricia Clarkson, Bob Balaban, Brian O'Byrne, Abigail Breslin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart

Music:

Philip Glass

Screenwriter:

Carol Fuchs

Production Designer:

Barbara Ling

Producer:

Sergio Aguero, Kerry Heysen

Cinematography:

Stuart Dryburgh

Director:

Scott Hicks

Editor:

Pip Karmel

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Comments & ratings

Rated as: 4/5 (6 ratings)

  • A big money star vehicle, this contrived, stagey and rather bland remake is a disappointing yawn. The leads lack sparkle and seem uncomfortable in their roles, and the whole piece appears clunky and filled with Hollywood artifice. What could have been a good movie No Reservations fails to invoke a semblance of dynamism and its sets look staged and fake. A B movie in A movie clothes - this one is a dud!

    Keith M Warwick Fri Jun 13 2008
    Rated as: 2/5
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  • 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.

    Philip Paris Mon Mar 3 2008
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  • Very poor, formulaic and a waste of time. Was not able to stay till the end

    dai chotomy Mon Oct 29 2007
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  • i think this was an altime favourite it was funny, emotional and very touching. i loved watching this amazing masterpiece. what wounderful work

    anonimous Mon Sep 10 2007
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • The film was alright, funny in some parts i would give it a 7/10

    x_eLLa_X Tue Sep 4 2007
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  • Heyz, x Saw this film was really good x Would defo see it again x :) 10/10 ! *** x

    cooldudette x Mon Sep 3 2007
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • it was the funn iest of funny i have seen lots of films but this is the best

    ????????????? Sun Sep 2 2007
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  • I saw this film yesterday, it was an advance screening of it. I thought the film was very good i enjoyed it my fiance even did, although he was the only lad in the cinema. if u like your romantic comedy then go see it.

    Louise Thu Aug 30 2007
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • 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.

    R Johnson Wed Aug 8 2007
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • 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.

    mystic Mon Jul 30 2007
    Rated as: 3/5
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