Movie Review: No Reservations

What was I expecting when I went to see No Reservations? Not much. It isn't that I expected it to be bad, it is just that I looked at it as a sort of fluffy space filler kind of a movie. It is true that it is a bit on the fluffier side, but it is anything but a space filler. This movie, a remake of a German film called Mostly Martha, is a nice slice of life kind of movie. No Reservations is not about plot, it is not about getting from point A to point B, it is not about having a script go through hoops to make the story work, it isn't even about how it ends. What it is about are the lives of those involved, it is about the lives of these people and the changes that they go through. The plot points flow naturally, moving along in a matter of fact way. Life changes, that is a fact, and this movie takes us through a certain period in the lives of three characters.

The story is centered on Kate (Catherine Zeta Jones), am emotionally unavailable master chef whose life revolves wround preparing some gorgeous looking food. While she may be unable to maintain a relationship for any amount of time, she is more than happy to show off her mean streak should any of her culinary talents be challenged. It is this showing of frustration that leads to the disappearance of customers, and the requirement that she seek counseling to save her job by the restaurant owner (played by Patricia Clarkson). Kate is not a terribly pleasant woman, but she is also not a particularly mean one, she is just passionate about her kitchen and about her culinary work. Her life is thrown for a loop one day, when her sister and niece (Abigail Breslin) are coming to visit. However, the visit never happens, and Kate is left to care for young Zoe.

Kate is ill prepared to care for Zoe. She is so singularly minded on her career that she has no idea how to care for her. In the meantime, things are changing at the restaurant as well. The owner has brought in a sous chef to assist in the kitchen duties. The new kitchen co-habitator is Nick (Aaron Eckhart), an equally skilled chef with a decidedly different approach to working the kitchen.

Of course, this will lead to the standard cliches of the genre. There will be a personality clash between Kate and Nick, there will be an attraction between the two, and young Zoe is here to play matchmaker. Yes, there are cliches here, but director Scott Hicks does not overplay his hand, it never plays too broadly, nor does he take into the realm of melodrama. It is an understated film that rests squarely on the shoulders of the three primaries to carry the weight of the film. It is a testament to their work that the movie works as well as it does.

There is something sweet in the way Zoe and Kate come to need each other, and the tentative nature of the relationship that develops. Zoe has lost her mother, and does not want a replacement, she has a fear of abandonment, combine that with Kate's inability to make emotional connections and there is a recipe for disaster. What helps is that they are family, and they do care about each which brings them together and they are able to work their way through the issues.

Then we have the issue of Nick in the kitchen. Kate, besides her emotional issues, is also a controlling woman, not mean, but has a specific way that she goes about business. So, when this new guy shows up with a vastly different demeanor, she is threatened by his presence, leading to mistrust and dislike to fester. The tale brings Zoe back into the fold when she plays a bit of matchmaker, because she develops a fatherly fondness for the sous chef.

When No Reservations reaches its conclusion, it does not come to a definitive end. Rather, the trio have just moved beyond this stage of their life and everything is moving onto the next level. Like I said, it is not about plot or reaching an ending, but about this slice of life. This slice was finished, and it is time to cut another piece, but that is for another time.

Bottomline. A movie I did not expect much from ended up delivering a sweet cinmatic experience, while also making me quite hungry. The performances were good, and the writing was nice. Nothing was overdone, nothing was played too comedically or too melodramatic, it cruised along giving us a glimpse into the lives of these people. Nicely realized movie.

Recommended.