Morgan BellREVIEW: No Reservations
March 22nd 2008 15:33
Directed: Scott Hicks (Snow Falling On Cedars, Shine)
Written: Carol Fuchs & Sandra Nettlebeck
Starring: Catherine Zeta Jones (Chicago, Entrapment, Americas Sweethearts, Intolerable Cruelty), Aaron Eckhart (Erin Brokovich, Thank You For Smoking)
No Reservations is the story of a talented chef called Kate (Zeta Jones) who unexpectedly gains custody of her niece Zoe and is forced to allow a little flexibility into a lifestyle which has been all about control. The concept is a little like Dianne Keating in Baby Boom. Kate is fastidious, particular and refined with her taste in food, and this crosses over into her personal life as she avoids closeness with people and partners. The challenge of caring for her new young charge brings out Kates warmth and empathy and leads her to reassess priorities she formerly felt certain of. Eckhart is gorgeous as the love-interest/workplace-rival Nick, always kind and gentle, his placid temper contrasts beautifully against Kates highly-strung nature. Eckhart played a similar character in Erin Brokovich as the lovable bearded bikie, great with the kids, patient, tolerant, adores difficult women (cue the *sigh*). This is a nice film with nice people and is fairly engaging. It is definitely more complex than the trailers indicate, the romance is more of an incidental sub-plot whereas the relationship with the child causing Kates character development is where the crux of the story is, and I don't think I even saw a little girl in the trailer, just cooking and sexual tension. Although with only a PG rating this film is refreshingly less complex than most films containing a sense of dread around young children placed into the homes of strangers and de-factos and nannys . . . it is a shame to say I was expecting a paedophile or some abuse or violence around every corner, but the story remained focussed on less melodramatic means of propelling the plot and left us with characters we could really relate to.
Written: Carol Fuchs & Sandra Nettlebeck
Starring: Catherine Zeta Jones (Chicago, Entrapment, Americas Sweethearts, Intolerable Cruelty), Aaron Eckhart (Erin Brokovich, Thank You For Smoking)
No Reservations is the story of a talented chef called Kate (Zeta Jones) who unexpectedly gains custody of her niece Zoe and is forced to allow a little flexibility into a lifestyle which has been all about control. The concept is a little like Dianne Keating in Baby Boom. Kate is fastidious, particular and refined with her taste in food, and this crosses over into her personal life as she avoids closeness with people and partners. The challenge of caring for her new young charge brings out Kates warmth and empathy and leads her to reassess priorities she formerly felt certain of. Eckhart is gorgeous as the love-interest/workplace-rival Nick, always kind and gentle, his placid temper contrasts beautifully against Kates highly-strung nature. Eckhart played a similar character in Erin Brokovich as the lovable bearded bikie, great with the kids, patient, tolerant, adores difficult women (cue the *sigh*). This is a nice film with nice people and is fairly engaging. It is definitely more complex than the trailers indicate, the romance is more of an incidental sub-plot whereas the relationship with the child causing Kates character development is where the crux of the story is, and I don't think I even saw a little girl in the trailer, just cooking and sexual tension. Although with only a PG rating this film is refreshingly less complex than most films containing a sense of dread around young children placed into the homes of strangers and de-factos and nannys . . . it is a shame to say I was expecting a paedophile or some abuse or violence around every corner, but the story remained focussed on less melodramatic means of propelling the plot and left us with characters we could really relate to.
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Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I also thought it was a nice film in a safe, Hollywood kind of way.
It's definitely not as good as the 2001 German film it was modelled on, Mostly Martha.
Tracy