Tortilla Soup (2001)

A Mexican-American master chef and father to three daughters has lost his taste for food but not for life.

Director:

Maria Ripoll

Writers:

Hui-Ling Wang (earlier screenplay), Ang Lee (earlier screenplay)

Stars:

Hector Elizondo, Jacqueline Obradors, Tamara Mello

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacqueline Obradors	...	Carmen Naranjo
Tamara Mello	...	Maribel Naranjo
Judy Herrera	...	Eden
Nikolai Kinski	...	Andy
Elizabeth Peña	...	Leticia Naranjo
Constance Marie	...	Yolanda
Troy Ruptash	...	Hairdresser
Ken Marino	...	Jeff
Hector Elizondo	...	Martin Naranjo
Marisabel García	...	April
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Gomez
Louis Crugnali	...	Catering Assistant
Raquel Welch	...	Hortensia
Joel Joan	...	Antonio Urgell
Paul Rodriguez	...	Orlando Castillo

Storyline

Retired Mexican-American chef Martin Naranjo shares an L.A. home with his three gorgeous, but single, adult daughters. Though he long ago lost his ability to taste, Martin still lives to cook incredibly lavish dinners for his loved ones and to serve them in a family-style ritual at traditional sit-down meals. Although the women humor their father's old-fashioned ways, each of them is searching for fulfillment outside the family circle. College student Maribel is growing increasingly frustrated with the singles scene and wants a steady man; gorgeous career woman Carmen is fed up with her boyfriend and his wandering eye; meanwhile, eldest daughter Letitia, who has suppressed her own romantic longings, senses something missing in her life. Things take a turn for the romantic when Dad, a widower, meets a vivacious divorcee on the lookout for a mate and each of his daughters, in turn, finds someone. But they'll all discover that the recipe for happiness may call for some unexpected ...

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Plot Keywords:

mexican american | chef | college student | career woman | divorcee | 

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Taglines:

A comedy to arouse your appetite.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Sur La Table

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

31 August 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sabores da Vida

Filming Locations:

Marshall Fundamental Secondary School - 990 Allen Avenue, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$653,729, 26 August 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$4,447,014, 16 December 2001

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,574,762

Company Credits

Production Co:

Samuel Goldwyn Films, Starz! Encore Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The three poems that Leti's "secret admirer" sends her are "To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell, "Her Face, Her Tongue, Her Wit" by Arthur Gorges, and "To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time" by Robert Herrick. The last note is from Titania's speech in Act III, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

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Goofs

When the teacher reads another note after her students leave, one of the students who just left wears a purple shirt. When she looks back in at the teacher, she is wearing a green striped shirt.

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Quotes

Carmen Naranjo: Do you know why we clink glasses before drinking?... It's so that all the five senses are involved. We touch the glass. We smell the drink. We see its color. We taste it. Hearing is the only sense that doesn't participate unless we create it.

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Connections

Remake of Eat Drink Man Woman (1994)

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Soundtracks

La Verdolaga
traditional
Arranged by Toto La Momposina
Performed by P18

User Reviews

A nice little movie

Better than the ordinary Hollywood movie, this family comedy does a very nice job of presenting a variety of characters in the throes of pursuing their own version of the American Dream. That the family is Mexican-American adds a welcome difference. The camera loves the food being prepared, the Latin-flavored music score enlivens the proceedings, and the acting is quite serviceable. Jacqueline Obrador and Elizabeth Pena shine as the older daughters in the family, the always-reliable Hector Elizondo is fine in a rare leading role. Of greatest interest, however, may be Raquel Welch, playing her age and her ethnicity for the first time in my memory. It is her role, not her performance, that mars the movie. She is a caricature of an older-middle-aged unattached woman, the butt of unkind jokes. And it is the unwitting bias toward the older woman character that undermines the otherwise upbeat, happy ending intended. Still, this one's worth the cost of a rental. Not great art but at least it doesn't insult the viewers' intelligence.