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 "Mostly Martha")

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 [France] Warner Bros [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 July 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled Scott Hicks Film

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,704,357, 29 July 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$43,107,979

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$92,601,050

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

According to USA Weekend, Catherine Zeta-Jones worked for one evening as a server at the Fiamma Osteria restaurant in New York City in preparation for her role in the movie. When customers told her and/or remarked on how much their server resembled Catherine Zeta-Jones, she would reply to them (in a faux American accent to hide her distinctive British/Welsh accent), "I hear that all the time."

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Goofs

In many interior shots in the kitchen, movie cameras and lighting are reflected in the heat lamp covers and other metallic surfaces.

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Quotes

Therapist: Kids like fishsticks...
Kate: I can't believe I'm actually paying for these suggestions.

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Connections

Featured in Orange Is the New Black: Don't Make Me Come Back There (2015)

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Soundtracks

The Lion Sleeps Tonight
Written by Solomon Linda, Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, George David Weiss and Albert Stanton
Performed by Lebo M.

User Reviews

Had a chance but.....

This movie had all the potential and makings of a great feel good, great love story...the cast is perfect, the visuals work, the original premise works, the characters work....but the story moves from one chess move to the next in a most predictable way...not one character in the movie has any depth or has any depth explained by the director. All we know about Catherine Zeta-Jones character is she is obsessed with her world....nobody is allowed in and nobody challenges her world...that much is obvious....but the remaining characters all have their own dimensions that are really never explored or exposed....Aaron Eckhart's character had so much more to offer to the story but wasn't allowed, Abigail Breslin's character is so easy to understand that her performance comes across somewhat predictable and phony....in the end everything reverts back to the forced turbulent world of Catherine Zeta-Jones which the audience never totally falls for....honestly, her turbulent world is not much more than a portrayal of a selfish, self obsessed, spoiled lady who most people would not have much time or sympathy for in the real world. The director needed to make her a hero and never does....in the end, it is Eckhart's character that ultimately wins because he wins.

Not a lousy movie, just a movie that could have been a lot better with more depth of personalities allowed in, explained and exposed.

Cheers