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:

Kojo Warner Bros [France]

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

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

Final film of John McMartin.

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Goofs

When Kate and Zoe are walking alongside 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

Bernadette: The world is so full of pervs. That guy at table 10 is the worst. Every week, a new bimbo. I swear, he leers at my tits, one more time, he's gonna regret it.

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Connections

Featured in Orange Is the New Black: Trust No Bitch (2015)

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Soundtracks

Zoe & Kate Watch Video
Composed and performed by Philip Glass

User Reviews

Very likable even for a formula romcom, mainly because of the terrific casting

Very likable even for a formula romcom, mainly because of the terrific casting and performances of the actors.

The forever beautiful and talented Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, The Mask of Zorro) is spot on as Kate, a workaholic chef at hoity toity 22 Bleeker. Kate unexpectedly inherits her niece Zoe, played tremendously well by Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). Real-life motherhood must have enabled Zeta-Jones to show her softer side with the restraint her character called for.

Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking, Black Dahlia) is Nick, the Italian-trained, opera-singing, charismatic new chef who invades Kate's precision-perfect French kitchen. Nick is Kate's quintessential opposite and eventually helps her sort out her trust issues and even enhances her parenting skills.

It is refreshing to see CZJ back on the silver screen where she belongs, and playing a non-glamorous character for once, even sans makeup in some scenes. At 38 years old, that is a brave feat indeed (and this courage is consistent with all the flawed characters she likes to play).

Her on screen chemistry with Eckhart is positively sizzling, and his cockiness to her coolness effectively makes you forget about the trite plot. While Zeta-Jones has also been criticized for being too beautiful for the role of a lonely chef, that is actually one of the ironies of life that this movie uncovers: beauty and talent doesn't really guarantee bliss.

Despite the awful MTV-like montage of the trio grocery shopping and the rest of the unspectacular elements, overall, the movie makes you feel for the characters. You leave the cinema all warm and fuzzy, and that makes the execution of No Reservations a success.