Mostly Martha (2001)
"Bella Martha" (original title)

When a headstrong chef takes charge of her equally stubborn 8-year-old niece, the tensions between them mount... until an Italian sous-chef arrives to lighten the mood.

Director:

Sandra Nettelbeck

Writer:

Sandra Nettelbeck

Stars:

Martina Gedeck, Maxime Foerste, Sergio Castellitto

14 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Martina Gedeck	...	Martha Klein
Maxime Foerste	...	Lina Klein (Martha's niece)
Sergio Castellitto	...	Mario
August Zirner	...	Martha's Therapist
Sibylle Canonica	...	Frida
Katja Studt	...	Lea
Antonio Wannek	...	Carlos
Idil Üner	...	Bernadette
Oliver Broumis	...	Jan
Ulrich Thomsen	...	Sam Thalberg
Gerhard Garbers	...	Herr Steinberg
Angela Schmidt	...	Frau Steinberg
Diego Ribon	...	Giuseppe Lorenzo
W.D. Sprenger	...	Noisy customer
Victoria Trauttmansdorff	...	Companion (as Victoria von Trautmannsdorf)

Storyline

In a German restaurant, Chef Martha Klein is the undisputed supreme ruler of the kitchen staff and woe to any customer who would dare criticize her cooking. Her life is firmly centered around cooking which takes on a obsessive level with stubborn single mindedness. Even when she is ordered to take therapy, she still constantly talks about her work and the iron clad control she relishes in her task. All that changes when her sister dies in a car accident, leaving her 8 year old daughter, Lina. Martha takes her niece in and while making enquiries for her estranged father, she struggles to care for this stubbornly headstrong child. Meanwhile at work, a new chef named Mario is hired on and Martha feels threatened by this unorthodox intruder. The pressures of both her private and work life combine to create a situation that will fundamentally call her attitudes and life choices into question while these interlopers into her life begin to profoundly change it.

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Plot Keywords:

chef | cooking | car accident | restaurant | kitchen | 

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Taglines:

"Shiawase" wa, honno chotto no sajikagen [Japan]

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for thematic material and mild language

Details

Official Sites:

Officail site Paramount Classics

Country:

Germany Italy Austria Switzerland

Language:

German Italian

Release Date:

18 April 2002 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Mostly Martha

Filming Locations:

Hamburg, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$40,446 (USA) (16 August 2002)

Gross:

$4,158,045 (USA) (17 January 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arte, Bavaria Film, Kinowelt Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sergio Castellitto's German wasn't good enough so Frank Glaubrecht was brought in to dub his voice for the German version.

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Goofs

When Mario and Lina get ready to cook dinner at Martha's apartment, Lina puts on her apron twice.

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Quotes

Mario: Why would she want to stay with her family in sunny Italy when she can return to cold and grey Germany to live there with a nut case like you?

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Connections

Featured in Cinema Goes to Dinner (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Too Much Of Your Love"
Written by 'Steve Reich'
Performed by M. Segal, S. Reich, J. Gunkel, M. Fonfara

User Reviews

exceptionally good movie

This film is an excellent psychological study of a VERY controlled and emotionally constricted woman who uses food, believe it or not, as a way of avoiding intimacy. She is a superb chef who is incredibly precise and demanding concerning her cooking because she is so uncomfortable with people. However, into her tightly controlled world comes chaos in the form of her niece--whose mother was just killed in an auto accident. Not surprisingly, she has a hard time relating to this child and I was thrilled that her transformation to a whole person took time and wasn't achieved in a Hollywood-style way. Instead, this little girl (who was not overly cute or fake--thank goodness) and a new chef at her restaurant (who was completely unlike her) influence Martha in a way that is believable and satisfying.

By the way, while not quite as good as The Big Night (which came out the same year) or Babette's feast, this movie is VERY reminiscent of them--elevating food to a true work of art.