No Reservations (2007)

Simply A Masterpiece

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

At first glance, this is a pretty standard rom-com drama. Woman has trouble finding love, is in distress, and a man comes in and saves the day. Blah blah. The first glance is all there is to it. Therein lies the problem though. These rom-coms are all perpetuating the norm of heterosexual relationships, and the concept of the nuclear family. Woman can succeed at work, but cannot have an equally successful love life. A man has to come to the rescue. This interpretation generally found in rom-coms has really opened my eyes when watching any film, as I have realized that an uncountable number of films follow this ideology. Especially since they're all coming from Hollywood. I'm not saying that this film was terrible; it's actually quite enjoyable, but once you realize the underlying ideology, it gets tiresome to watch. Zeta-Jones does a good job as the perfectionist chef who needs everything done her way. Eckhart is charming and the chemistry between them is solid. Breslin is a great actor, and does well in family type roles. She has a talent for making the audience sympathize with her, and is definitely one to keep an eye out for. I'm also glad that the 'rom' in this rom-com wasn't that heavily emphasized. Though it is definitely one of the main factors, it's good to see that the family part was slightly more hard hitting than the romantic aspect of the film. As well, screenplay is quite comedic, especially in scenes with the Therapist. Overall, a pretty enjoyable film, but a tiresome ideology.

For anyone who hasn't seen the 2001 German film, "Mostly Martha," this movie will pass as a good story. But, those of us who have seen the original have a standard with which to compare. Thus, my rating of six stars for "No Reservations." The performances here are okay, with even more humor written into this all American version. But, that's precisely one of the big drawbacks to this film compared to the original. In "Martha," much of the substance of the film flowed from the differences of two countries – Germany and Italy. The principal characters fit that scheme. But the biggest aspect is the seeming naturalness of the original film. It was an original story and it seemed to flow naturally. Whereas, one is more aware of the acting in this movie. Naturally, the script has some changes as well. But, this movie is never able to bring out the nuances of Martha from the original. Kate, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, doesn't seem to be the same intense, then conflicted, and gradually warming character. And, Aaron Eckhart's Nick seems more of an amiable, good-hearted character – a nice likable guy one might see in any restaurant kitchen. Rather, in "Martha," Mario stands out as a character in the Hamburg kitchen. Sergio Castellitto played the part as a foreigner who nevertheless knows his business and is welcomed. Again, this isn't a bad film. Most people will enjoy it. But for those who have seen the original, it comes across as very light and just so-so.

So upon having to watch this film while both my teacher was out sick and I was in class sick, I really didn't expect much all things being considered. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie's ability to bring up emotions.Won't bother explaining the basics of the film since you can get that straight from the description. What I will say is that although it doesn't have the deepest story or background, it is charming. It will make you feel legitimately happy or sad for the characters and smile at some of it's quirkier moments.Being a romance film, it obviously has the downside of being fairly unrealistic, at least in my opinion. Everything centers around romance in some way and it seems a bit more like a dream that belongs to the girl in high school that works 24/7 to over achieve and yet never gets little affection, so that did leave a bad taste in my mouth when looking back on it.It's something to watch when you have a cold since emotions are the only things you can feel when sick. It's also something you only need to watch once to fully enjoy.If you have the time then go ahead and watch it, but if you're looking for something that will keep you thinking or sitting on the edge of your seat, you're in the wrong place.

This is a cutesy, Styrofoam-plastic, Hollywood remake of a beautiful and moving German film, 'Mostly Martha'. 'No Reservations tells, blow by blow, exactly the same story - and even the lines trailed on IMDb are directly lifted from the original: Therapist: Kate/Martha, I'm sure you will be able to prevent the worst from happening. Kate/Martha: And that would be? Therapist: That he will tolerate you for any length of time. And yet, No Reservations, is unrecognizable as the offspring of its lovely parent. It's pleasant, forgettable stuff. After all, what can you expect from a romantic comedy? Listen up, Hollywood; 'Mostly Martha', with its movingly drawn, flawed, three dimensional characters, its loving lenses into a compelling world AND the humor, the romance, the feel-good journey through transformation, is what we have a right to expect!