No Reservations

Plot synopsis:
Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is the head chef at the trendy 22 Bleecker Street Restaurant in Manhattan, New York. She runs her kitchen at a rapid pace as she coordinates the making and preparation of all the fantastic meals, and personally displays the food to perfection on every dish. She intimidates everyone around her, including her boss Paula (Patricia Clarkson), who sends her to therapy. Kate hates to leave the kitchen when a customer wants to compliment her on one of her special dishes; however, she is ready to leave the kitchen in an instant when a customer insults her cooking.
When Kate's sister Christine is killed in a car accident, her nine-year-old niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin), must move in with her. Kate is devastated by her sister's death and with all of her problems, Paula decides to hire a new sous chef to join the staff, Nick Palmer (Aaron Eckhart), who is a rising star in his own right and could be the head chef of any restaurant he pleased. Nick, however, wants to work under Kate. The atmosphere in the kitchen is somewhat chaotic as Kate feels increasingly threatened by Nick as time goes on due to his style of running her kitchen. Nick loves to listen to opera while he cooks and he loves to make the staff laugh. And Kate finds herself strangely attracted to Nick, whose uplifting personality has not only affected her staff but Zoe as well, who has been coming to work with Kate.
With all that is happening in Kate's life, the last thing she would want is to fall in love with this man, as she has pushed away all others prior. Nevertheless, there is some kind of chemistry between the two of them that only flourishes with their passion for cooking. Yet life hits her hard when Paula decides to offer Nick the job of head chef and Kate's relationship with Nick turns a sour note due to Kate's pride. Nick also develops a special bond with Zoe.
In the end, Kate allows herself to become vulnerable and tear down the walls she has built throughout her life so that she and Nick could start fresh. The movie concludes with Zoe, Nick, and Kate having opened their own bistro.

Tags: home movie

Review:
Directed by Scott Hicks ("Shine") and written by first-timer Carol Fuchs, this film offers the most insightful peek into the workings of an upscale Manhattan restaurant since 2000's "Dinner Rush" (i.e., if you don't count last year's CGI-generated, French food-fest, "Ratatouille"), but it also seems intent in splintering the story between the romantic sparks between the co-stars and the unexpected relationship that a single aunt forms with her orphaned niece.
Hicks and Fuchs also seem intent on inserting predictable clichés along the way to reinforce the formulaic approach taken with the story.Basically a remake of the 2001 German comedy, "Mostly Martha", the plot centers on perfectionist chef Kate who runs a tightly efficient kitchen in a chic SoHo bistro.
There is a nice dose of Verdi and Puccini opera arias, and Abigail Breslin steals the film like she did with "Little Miss Sunshine." I have not liked Aaron Eckert in the past, but in this film he brings happiness to the otherwise dour Zeta Jones.Some of the professional critics said they like the original German film "Mostly Martha" better, but I thought that "No reservations" improved on the original in every possible way.
During the sold-out preview show that I attended, people were laughing at the right moments and feeling moved at the right times too, and the casting was spot on - Catherine Zeta-Jones is perfect as the work-obsessed Kate dealing with the disruption of her perfectly-ordered life and Aaron Eckhart is irresistible with his mop of hair and those dimples.
Very likable even for a formula romcom, mainly because of the terrific casting and performances of the actors.The forever beautiful and talented Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, The Mask of Zorro) is spot on as Kate, a workaholic chef at hoity toity 22 Bleeker.
Real-life motherhood must have enabled Zeta-Jones to show her softer side with the restraint her character called for.Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking, Black Dahlia) is Nick, the Italian-trained, opera-singing, charismatic new chef who invades Kate's precision-perfect French kitchen.
While Zeta-Jones has also been criticized for being too beautiful for the role of a lonely chef, that is actually one of the ironies of life that this movie uncovers: beauty and talent doesn't really guarantee bliss.Despite the awful MTV-like montage of the trio grocery shopping and the rest of the unspectacular elements, overall, the movie makes you feel for the characters.
All we know about Catherine Zeta-Jones character is she is obsessed with her world....nobody is allowed in and nobody challenges her world...that much is obvious....but the remaining characters all have their own dimensions that are really never explored or exposed....Aaron Eckhart's character had so much more to offer to the story but wasn't allowed, Abigail Breslin's character is so easy to understand that her performance comes across somewhat predictable and phony....in the end everything reverts back to the forced turbulent world of Catherine Zeta-Jones which the audience never totally falls for....honestly, her turbulent world is not much more than a portrayal of a selfish, self obsessed, spoiled lady who most people would not have much time or sympathy for in the real world.
In Manhattan, the workaholic Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is the chef of the 22 Bleecker Restaurant owned by Paula (Patricia Clarkson), who sent her to a therapist (Bob Balaban) because she has no other interest in life but cooking and controlling her kitchen.
But when his work is recognized by the clients of the restaurant, Kate believes she committed a mistake."No Reservations" is delightfully sweet, with a nice romance supported by the magnificent chemistry of Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart; a good story; a wonderful soundtrack; and the visual of splendorous dishes.
The beauty of Catherine Zeta-Jones is awesome, and I really loved her character and this entertaining feel-good movie.
Although there were a couple of amusing scenes, in general the outlook of the movie was quite depressing.I also found it difficult to fall in love with any of the characters as they all seemed a little underdeveloped, the time which the director could have used exploring the characters taken up by a needless overuse of Opera, making the movie feel dragged out and slow.All in all, although there are some touching scenes, the trailer is quite deceptive and i would only suggest you go watch this if there is really nothing else that tickles your fancy.Not fantastic, and as i have said before; Bland..
I think that Catherine Zeta Jones and Aaron Eckhart could do a new version of "Prizzi's Honor" they both look like professional killers.
I'm really not going to waste my time with in depth analysis, i'm just going to say that i'm extremely disappointed that Catherine Zeta-Jones made the mistake of being in the main role in this absurd, nonsense, in this full of clichés boring to death thoughtless pathetic try in film-making!
If you've never seen a romantic comedy before, then this will delight you to no end, as it has all the necessary components: great acting and dialog, witty banter, chemistry between all members of the cast, and a nicely weighed smattering of heartfelt (and even sad) moments.The problem is, if you've seen more than a couple of others in the same genre, you will likely - as was I - be bored to tears watching No Reservations.
There is zero chemistry between the main actors (Aaron Eckhart as Nick and Catherine Zeta-Jones as Kate) and no explanation, other than Nick's admiration for Kate as a chef, of why Nick falls for such a brooding, clammed-up woman.
NO RESERVATIONS is an entertaining and nice summer 2007 film which gives an audience a very interesting and intelligent female lead in Cathterine Zeta-Jones as a Chef in the high profile "foodie biz" of chic New York and has the talented Aaron Eckhardt as her protagonist and romantic counterpart.
In other words, Nick bests Kate at the skills most frequently associated with women: cooking and nurturing children.This is the kind of botch of a romantic comedy where you know that characters who can't stand each other are now falling in love because, suddenly, very loud and intrusive opera arias and classic pop songs play on the soundtrack.
Granted, Zeta-Jones's Kate has the maudlin ingredient cooked right into the plother sister killed in an auto accident, her niece becoming her ward, the music tinkling when they look at the family photos and swelling when they do "crazy" things together to create the elusive bond.All I took away from this tear-jerking rom-com was a desire to go home and cook my favorite pasta combination; Aaron Eckhart's sous-chef Nick inspired me with his combination.
The story was good, a lot like Raising Helen but without the charm of Kate Hudson, and also a decent adaptation from the German film Mostly Martha.
No Reservations had added some very good detail works and a little Hollywood-style spice in the original script....all this should've made a very touching film--- would've-----only if they hadn't left out all the good things from the original movie.This one fails to create any depth in the relationships.
Also, zeta-zone's acting ruins the movie.She acts far worse than Abigail.But i must admit- i like the ending on this one better.Not exactly the ending,actually the direction of the chef's life.Anyway,watch it if you want(i warn you,it'll arrive on TV before you come out of the theater} but don't forget to watch Mostly Martha- that one is 'funny and romantic' too..
The one I always recall is "Simply Irresistible", because it's an irresistible movie even when it exaggerates things This I say it because "No reservations" sticks a lot to reality, with the help of Breslin's unique charm and naturalness and her instant chemistry with Zeta-Jones, and her chemistry with Eckhart; the elements that make the film watchable.
There's never any doubt that Nick has Kate and Zoe's best interests at heart, or that they all will find happiness on its own sweet terms.""...the emotional details of Kate, Nick and Zoe's journey are surprising, honest and life-size, and the film's determination to present their predicament sympathetically, without appealing to retrograde ideals of femininity and motherhood, makes it notable, and in some ways unique."Variety says; "All the same, Zeta-Jones is in her element as a formidable woman one messes with, professionally and personally, only at one's peril.
And, yes, she looks pretty darn good in her tight-fitting work uniform.""The lanky, exuberant Eckhart might seem an odd match for his co-star's cool, dark beauty, but this mostly works to the film's benefit; thesp makes Nick's quirkiness winning rather than grating as he stealthily charms Zoe while restraining himself with Kate.
This movie begins with a very talented chef by the name of "Kate" (Catherine Zeta-Jones) talking to her therapist about everything except the reason that she is there.
Add in a radical new chef, Aaron Eckhart, in her kitchen, and she almost becomes completely unglued!Catherine Zeta-Jones gives a surprisingly good performance in this comedy-dramedy.
She's in a role that could easily be hammed up by a lazy actress so that the audience quickly gets that she feels out of her element, but Catherine plays it in a realistic way.Abigail Breslin gives one of her best performances in No Reservations.
By far this is the worst performance and am not just talking about being a perfectionist in the kitchen, her love interest with Aaron Eckhart and a likable aunt with her niece she falls in all places and really low.The movie starts off in a very interesting note, and shows the actress in the kitchen and cuts back and forth with a therapist and then moves on to show the tragedy in her life and niece moving with her.
The characters should grown into you, not go back and forth on the same emotions and insanely annoy you.The movie should have focused on the bonding between actress and little girl and build the story around it, it would be a really fun and interesting to watch, but instead goes in all different directions and loses our interests after the first 20 minutes which is a huge disappointment.
So it might just come down to which movie you saw first.But there are specific aspects of No Reservations I prefer: a more fleshed-out script and editing job, as well as superior Hollywood production values (the better presentation of the food, for instance, or note the poor dubbing of Mostly Martha's Sergio Castellitto - on the German track - although maybe this is just an audio sync problem with the Paramount DVD).Mostly, though, I prefer No Reservatons for its stars.
Driven by great acting but marred by a predictable plot, No Reservations is a chick flick that would also make a nice family film or an escape from the typical loud and explosive movies we usually experience over the summer.
When a tragedy strikes the family, she is forced to shift the focus of her life onto her niece, the crushed and emotionally destroyed Zoe. At the same time, a new chef named Nick starts working at the restaurant and seems to threaten Kate's placement there.On a low-budget movie like this, it's the acting and writing that must excel above everything else in order for the entire production to be bearable.
Scott Hicks, whether he meant to or not, does a superb job keeping the camera close to the subjects and giving you the feeling that you are seated at a table witnessing the events unfolding, or you are a chef witnessing Zeta-Jones' character in action.Bottom Line: Just like the structures of these reviews, No Reservations is very predictable.
The first is to take care of her niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin from Little Miss Sunshine) when her sister meets with an accident, and the other is to manage that threat from work, in the form of another chef Nick (Aaron Eckhart), who has the potential to run his own kitchen, but for some reason chose to work under Kate in the same restaurant.As a romantic comedy, this movie works, well, because it adapted almost every romantic scene from the German movie.
The new movie, No Reservations, starring Academy Award®-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago) and Golden Globe® nominee Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Not Smoking), is destined to become the romantic film of the summer.The soundtrack to this movie, in-stores now, is a musical masterpiece which starts with a generous helping of Italian arias performed by world-renowned tenor Pavorotti, Renata Telbaldi, Joan Sutherland, Carlo Bergozzi, and Joseph Calleja.
The cinematography of this flick is simply amazing, and most amazing of everything is Catherine Zeta Jones' character,Kate.Miss Zeta Jones is a great actress, too good and overrated, and in this movie she shows her great abilities and her powerful talent in bringing on her own shoulder an entire picture.
Remember that part in the movie's preview where Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) slices the list of the restaurant's main dishes in half and gives one of the pieces of the paper to Aaron Eckhart's character, telling him he will be in charge of those entrées and she will take care of the rest?
How else can one explain the lukewarm critical reception for the charming little film No Reservations, a romantic dramedy starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eackhart, and Signs wunderkid Abigail Breslin?This is a good "cuddle on the couch" movie.
It follows a workaholic New York City chef (this time around) who must suddenly deal with taking care of her orphaned 9 year old niece.Catherine Zeta-Jones is suitably (bitchy) giving off a no-nonsense intensity as she runs her kitchen.
No Reservations misses the spark with subtle romance, dull drama and toned-down emotions, and a dollop of sophistication and pomp in the scenery and furniture.No Reservations by Scott Hicks is a 2007 romantic comedy about 'one of the better chefs in town', a control freak, Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and an exuberant and Opera-loving Nick (Aaron Eckhart) who comes and topsy-turvy her life in a very slow motion, and she starts to break her own rules when Zoe (Abigail Breslin), Kate's niece starts to like Nick and finds in him and Kate a family; and the movie takes a predictable turn and we see a budding romance between the two during their talks about food and recipes and the cold fights, but the spark is missing.
I've learned it is a remake of a German film called "Bella Martha", but to me it was more like a remake of virtually any other romance story of recent decades.Catherine Zeta-Jones plays a talented chef who's so good at the foods she prepares that her boss won't fire her, even though she is a major pain to work with and constantly barges out of the kitchen to confront paying customers when they feel their meal isn't prepared the way they like it.
The issue is that, altogether, these factors make this film not as funny as it should be and that's why it needs improvement.Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Kate, a stressed, workaholic chef that has no time for anyone but herself, or so she thinks.
The chemistry between Aaron Eckhart, Nick and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Kate was definitely there and they made an appealing couple and Abigail Breslin was awesome in her role, as always.
It is a film about a Master Chef named Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) that runs the kitchen in a large high end restaurant in Manhattan.
However, a young, funny, and attractive new opera loving sous-chef named Nick (Aaron Eckhart) comes into the restaurant and sparks Kate's interest.
You can see where the film is going all of the time.Catherine Zeta Jones does a very nice job playing Kate.
Aaron Eckhart is a bit over the top at times (this was clearly intended to contrast Catherine's Kate but it doesn't work all the way) and his Italianness appears a little forced but otherwise he's quite alright.'No Reservations' may not be the best movie of its kind but it's quite a watchable film.
This romantic comedy touches a lot of familiar bases, including an orphaned niece (Abigail Breslin) of a career woman (Catherine Zeta-Jones as a no-nonsense chef) who has no idea of how to deal with her new charge and a guy who does (Aaron Eckhart as the second chef in the restaurant kitchen whom Zeta-Jones's character feels threatened by).
Maybe I'm just a sucker for movies centered around cooking and food mainly because to me, stories like that have a lot of color to it and it just brings people together so that they can enjoy it was well.Catherine Zeta-Jones is as beautiful and charming in her role as the workaholic chef Kate Armstrong and Aaron Eckhart lights up the film as the more light-hearted Nick.
The movie stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin.
The movie stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, and Abigail Breslin.
When her sister tragically passes away and leaves her with a child to raise (played by Abigail Breslin), and her new sous-chef (Aaron Eckhart) threatens to take over her perfectly managed kitchen with his exuberance and free spirit, she struggles to adjust, but soon realises not everything in life can be handled as expertly as roast quail.I found Catherine Zeta-Jones monotonous and irritating in this movie.
But the story of two chefs (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart) trying to solve their differences on the same restaurant kitchen, but really together helping the woman's niece (Abigail Breslin) she got to raise after the kid's mother death in accident seemed forced, contrived and uninteresting.
"No Reservations" stars the delicious Catherine Zeta-Jones as Kate, an OCD demanding top head chef in New York who is suddenly confronted with a real life order she has never cooked up before; caring for her orphan niece whose mother passed away in a car accident.
I can say that I don't have to see the original movie because of this one.Since I'm a fan of both Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart, I say that this movie has gone way too good not just about the storyline but of the acting of the casts as well.