She’s the most renowned chef in the country. She’s arrogant, self-obsessed and an extreme workaholic. Pots and pans are her closest friends. She comes home with no messages on her answering machine, she uses her psychiatrist as a food taster and every man who tries to step into her life is misunderstood as demanding. Her name is Kate Armstrong.

He’s a fun-loving – almost crazy – chef who treats his job as a wild ride, a game and a part of the thrills of life. Some call him a lunatic, while others see in him pure exuberance. And ladies, he’s part Italian. Well, at least the food he specializes in is. Nevertheless, he emits charm with his every word, smile and lifting of the pan. He’s Nick Palmer.

One’s obsessively competitive. The other just wants a chance to shine. How could these 2 ever run the town’s finest restaurant’s kitchen together? Oscar-winner Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart join forces in director Scott Hicks’ latest romantic-comedy, No Reservations, to prove that food can, after all, be the love potion that binds people together.
On first impression, No Reservations may come across as just another cliché love story that’s making use of a less used context – food and cooking – to make a buck or 2. But there’s so much more that one can expect from this lovely ride that has emotional drama, comedy, delightful charm, and a few awww’s painted on its seats. In the fast-paced, chaotic world behind all fine-dining restaurants, a beautiful sense of warmth overwhelms as barriers break, relationships are forged, the past is overlooked, and a child learns to cook.

Abigail Breslin co-stars as Zoe, Kate’s niece, who becomes a huge responsibility Kate has to take on when a family member dies.

Breslin is, as always, absolutely adorable. Previously seen in 2006’s Little Miss Sunshine, she gives yet another performance that will melt audience’s hearts in an instant. For an 11-year-old, the Academy Award nominee gives an impressively deep and accurate portrayal of a child struggling with the death of a loved one and a character that’s not just intelligent and mature, but utterly sweet as well.

Eckhart does a commendable job taking cliché out of a love story with his effort in bringing serious acting to a part chick-flick, while Zeta-Jones proves that the Oscar curse does no harm to her. She’s just as wonderful to watch here as she was in 2002’s Chicago, as she pulls off arrogance and desire for excellence in as stylish a way as she did with Velma Kelly – only this time, she’s designing dishes and delicacies rather than a dance routine.

It’s a thrill to see a 37-year-old Oscar winner be paired with an 11-year-old Oscar nominee as Zeta-Jones and Breslin resonate brilliant performances and charm off each other. Their support for each other artistically is so obviously strong that, at certain points in the movie, you get the feeling they could actually be sisters in real life. And then there’s also the scene where you take pure joy in seeing the duo act like 8-year-olds.

Romantic comedies like No Reservations don’t usually get recognised for their soundtracks. But pay attention to this one. You’ll come to appreciate the alluring piano pieces that support the different parts of the story rather superbly. The tunes are so distinctive it’s not that difficult to identify the various chapters of the film just by the respective pieces that accompany them. It’s no surprise that the soundtrack comes through so impressively when we find out from the closing credits that Academy Award nominee, Philip Glass, known for his marvellous works on 2002’s The Hours and 2006’s Notes On A Scandal, was the fellow behind the music notes.

The wonderful side to using the context of food in No Reservations is the extravagant feast and delicacies viewers get to drool over and admire during the show, especially when this is a film in which the characters make use of desirable dishes to draw each other’s attention. Based on the characters’ backgrounds, you know the food has to at least look absolutely divine to catch their eye. Even if you’re going into the theatre with a full stomach, be prepared to crave for steaks, lobsters, white wine, strawberries, cheesecakes, tiramisu, truffles, and exquisite saffron sauce to name a few.

What may be disturbing to the audience when they leave the theatre is how, although No Reservations is supposed to be a romantic-comedy, the film’s genre still wasn’t well defined in the show itself. With a pinch of comedy, measure of drama, bits of romance and pieces of fantasy elements all mixed in equal parts, audience might have to beware of leaving the cinema with more than a few questions about what the movie is really about.

But as usual, there are scenes and events in this film that can be expected for any movie that has “romance” and “comedy” tagged to it. If you could sense a love story from the trailer, you’re spot on. And, yes, there are parts of the film that could eventually come across cliché. But with each of these parts, new perspectives are also explored and experimented with and the result is, to a large extent, refreshing.

Rating: 4 /5 Stars

Movie Details:

Opens: Sept 6

Running Time: 104 minutes

Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson

Director: Scott Hicks