No Reservations (2007)

The life of a top chef changes when she becomes the guardian of her young niece.

Director:

Scott Hicks

Writers:

Carol Fuchs (screenplay), Sandra Nettelbeck (screenplay)

Stars:

Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Kate
Aaron Eckhart	...	Nick
Abigail Breslin	...	Zoe
Patricia Clarkson	...	Paula
Jenny Wade	...	Leah
Bob Balaban	...	Therapist
Brían F. O'Byrne	...	Sean
Lily Rabe	...	Bernadette
Eric Silver	...	John
Arija Bareikis	...	Christine
John McMartin	...	Mr. Peterson
Celia Weston	...	Mrs. Peterson
Zoë Kravitz	...	Charlotte
Matthew Rauch	...	Ken
Dearbhla Molloy	...	Anna

Storyline

A master chef, Kate, lives her life like she runs the kitchen at upscale 22 Bleecker Restaurant in Manhattan--with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. With breathtaking precision, she powers through each hectic shift, coordinating hundreds of meals, preparing delicate sauces, seasoning and simmering each dish to absolute perfection.

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Plot Keywords:

restaurant | chef | kitchen | guardian | cooking | 

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Taglines:

Life isn't always made to order.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for some sensuality and language

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros [fr] Warner Bros [us]

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Mostly Martha

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£513,063 (UK) (31 August 2007)

Gross:

$43,097,652 (USA) (2 November 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Storefront Pictures, Village Roadshow Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When he's in the kitchen, Aaron Eckhart's character wears orange clogs, the trademark of Chef Mario Batalli of Iron Chef and The Chew fame.

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Goofs

In the scene where Kate and Zoe are walking along side a yellow school bus on the way to Zoe's first day at school, a mother with her son is crossing the road. As the mother and son pass the front of the bus, the son drops his book. The 'son' tells the 'mom' and they pause in the path of Kate and Zoe briefly before being forced to move on, leaving the book behind in order not to block Kate and Zoe. A crossing officer attempts to pick it up for them before leaving it as the mother and son exit the scene.

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Quotes

Kate: Oh, I see you've brought something to read to Zoe.
Charlotte: It's for my thesis... rapidly mutating deadly viruses.

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Connections

Features Operation: Rabbit (1952)

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Soundtracks

"Sway"
Performed by Michael Bublé

User Reviews

No Reservations About "No Reservations"

"No Reservations" is not a great film, nor does it pretend to be. It is very predictable and follows the formula used in countless other movies. Despite that, it give you everything you want from this type of film and is better than many of the sequels that have come out this year.

Catherine Zeta Jones is as beautiful as ever. 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. The only valid criticism I could find was that Catherine Zeta Jones is too beautiful to be believable as a lonely chef. That is a flaw I can live with.

If you are looking for a break from the so-called Summer "action" films, "No Reservations" is not very original, but it certainly fits the bill. The only drawback is that you will definitely leave the theater feeling really hungry for good food.