Simply Irresistible (1999)

A magical crab works wonders for a terrible chef's culinary skills, leading her towards the man of her dreams.

Director:

Mark Tarlov

Writer:

Judith Roberts

Stars:

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sean Patrick Flanery, Patricia Clarkson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sarah Michelle Gellar	...	Amanda Shelton
Sean Patrick Flanery	...	Tom Bartlett
Patricia Clarkson	...	Lois McNally
Dylan Baker	...	Jonathan Bendel
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.	...	Nolan Traynor (as Larry Gilliard Jr.)
Christopher Durang	...	Gene O'Reilly
Betty Buckley	...	Aunt Stella
Olek Krupa	...	Valderon
Amanda Peet	...	Chris
Alex Draper	...	Francois
Drew Nieporent	...	Gil Shapiro
Anthony Ruivivar	...	Ramos
Andrew McFarlane	...	The Poet
Steven Skybell	...	Mr. Mueller
Phyllis Somerville	...	Ruth

Storyline

A department store executive (Flanery) tries to resist falling in love with a young woman (Gellar), who he believes has possessed magical powers after inheriting a restaurant.

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Plot Keywords:

chef | restaurant | magic | female chef | female stockinged foot | 

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Taglines:

A bewitching romance.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief sexual references

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

5 February 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Magic Hour

Filming Locations:

Henri Bendel Department Store - 712 Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,232,686, 5 February 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$4,394,936, 11 April 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Regency Pictures, Polar Entertainment Corporation, Taurus Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The female lead was supposed to be middle-aged, according to the script, but was rewritten to be a 20-year-old so that Sarah Michelle Gellar could be cast. The studio wanted to cash in on Gellar's popularity as the result of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1996).

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Goofs

A string can be seen attached to the crab as it scuttles through the market in the opening scene.

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Quotes

Lois McNally: It's hot in here. I'm gonna open a window.
Tom Bartlett: Yeah. NO! She'll get in.

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Crazy Credits

For Judy

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Connections

References Dateline NBC (1992)

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Soundtracks

Secret Smile
Written by Dan Wilson
Performed by Semisonic

User Reviews

A Guilty Pleasure

This film represents nothing truly exceptional. It has no exceptional acting, messages, faces (maybe Sarah M Gellar, but looks aren't everything), or lines. I didn't spend $7.50 on it to see it in the theater, nor will spend $3.00 at the rental store to see this. But why is it that when I see it on TV (I got cable) 9 out of 10 times I stop to watch it? Maybe because this movie speaks to the little romantic in all of us. We know or will learn that relationships don't make Emeril dishes appear at will or having odd gases spew from deserts but it's still a cute flick with two of the romance and a happy ending.