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NO RESERVATIONS
Despite a hard working cast, the 2007 comedy No Reservations ultimately doesn't quite measure up due to a rampantly predictable story and a couple of very unappealing central characters.
The film stars Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones as Kate, an accomplished gourmet chef at a trendy Greenwich Village eaterie whose busy job and empty life are thrown a complicated curve when she is made guardian of her niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin) when Kate's sister dies in a car accident. When Kate takes a little time off to get Zoe settled into her new life, another chef named Nick (Aaron Eckhart) is brought in to temporarily pinch hit for Kate and unwittingly threatens Kate's job and pretty much her entire existence.
The primary problem with Carol Fuchs and Sandra Nettlebeck's conventional screenplay is that the two characters at the core of the story are pretty unlikable making it very difficult for this reviewer to invest in the slow burn of a relationship that is supposed to develop between them. I think everyone knows or has worked with someone like Kate...she is an ice queen all about her job, intimidates her kitchen staff with her no-nonsense approach to her work and is convinced that whenever she's not there, the place falls apart. Near the beginning of the film, Kate is observed balking when she is asked to come out of the kitchen to speak to regular customers who want to compliment her food, but later when customers want to compliment Nick on his cooking, she blows a gasket. It should also be mentioned that Kate is in therapy but never reveals anything resembling genuine feelings. Though it is amusing when she tries serving Zoe the kind of food she cooks at the restaurant and Zoe won't touch it.
Zoe is no prize either...she makes her aunt work extremely hard for her affection, initially thumbing her nose up at anything Aunt Kate tries to do to make her comfortable. She begins to thaw when Kate offers to take her to work with her, but when that gets Kate in trouble, she turns the tables on Kate, blaming her and having a fit when her attempts to push Kate and Nick together don't instantly work. Zoe displays behavior most parents would not put up with but is given slack when she whines that she misses her mother. For a grade school child, this girl is surprisingly manipulative and very into disappearing for no other reason than to scare the hell out of Aunt Kate.
The only saving grace in this story is Nick, an utterly charming and gracious guy who is as talented in the kitchen as Kate is, but that's where the similarity ends...the guy knows how to have fun, instantly connects with Zoe, and treats Kate with the respect her job deserves, even when he is offered said job.
Zeta-Jones works very hard to make this character appealing but she is fighting the script all the way. Breslin, fresh off her Oscar-nominated performance in Little Miss Sunshine does some solid work, but her character's behavior sometimes makes it hard to notice. I also enjoyed the always watchable Patricia Clarkson as Kate's boss and Bob Balaban as Kate's shrink, but it is Aaron Eckhart's Nick that is the glue that makes this film worth sitting through. Eckhart creates a charming and very sexy character who makes us laugh at him and fall in love with him mainly because he's the only character who makes all the right moves. Unfortunately, Eckhart's work is not enough to make this completely work.
Despite a hard working cast, the 2007 comedy No Reservations ultimately doesn't quite measure up due to a rampantly predictable story and a couple of very unappealing central characters.
The film stars Oscar winner Catherine Zeta-Jones as Kate, an accomplished gourmet chef at a trendy Greenwich Village eaterie whose busy job and empty life are thrown a complicated curve when she is made guardian of her niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin) when Kate's sister dies in a car accident. When Kate takes a little time off to get Zoe settled into her new life, another chef named Nick (Aaron Eckhart) is brought in to temporarily pinch hit for Kate and unwittingly threatens Kate's job and pretty much her entire existence.
The primary problem with Carol Fuchs and Sandra Nettlebeck's conventional screenplay is that the two characters at the core of the story are pretty unlikable making it very difficult for this reviewer to invest in the slow burn of a relationship that is supposed to develop between them. I think everyone knows or has worked with someone like Kate...she is an ice queen all about her job, intimidates her kitchen staff with her no-nonsense approach to her work and is convinced that whenever she's not there, the place falls apart. Near the beginning of the film, Kate is observed balking when she is asked to come out of the kitchen to speak to regular customers who want to compliment her food, but later when customers want to compliment Nick on his cooking, she blows a gasket. It should also be mentioned that Kate is in therapy but never reveals anything resembling genuine feelings. Though it is amusing when she tries serving Zoe the kind of food she cooks at the restaurant and Zoe won't touch it.
Zoe is no prize either...she makes her aunt work extremely hard for her affection, initially thumbing her nose up at anything Aunt Kate tries to do to make her comfortable. She begins to thaw when Kate offers to take her to work with her, but when that gets Kate in trouble, she turns the tables on Kate, blaming her and having a fit when her attempts to push Kate and Nick together don't instantly work. Zoe displays behavior most parents would not put up with but is given slack when she whines that she misses her mother. For a grade school child, this girl is surprisingly manipulative and very into disappearing for no other reason than to scare the hell out of Aunt Kate.
The only saving grace in this story is Nick, an utterly charming and gracious guy who is as talented in the kitchen as Kate is, but that's where the similarity ends...the guy knows how to have fun, instantly connects with Zoe, and treats Kate with the respect her job deserves, even when he is offered said job.
Zeta-Jones works very hard to make this character appealing but she is fighting the script all the way. Breslin, fresh off her Oscar-nominated performance in Little Miss Sunshine does some solid work, but her character's behavior sometimes makes it hard to notice. I also enjoyed the always watchable Patricia Clarkson as Kate's boss and Bob Balaban as Kate's shrink, but it is Aaron Eckhart's Nick that is the glue that makes this film worth sitting through. Eckhart creates a charming and very sexy character who makes us laugh at him and fall in love with him mainly because he's the only character who makes all the right moves. Unfortunately, Eckhart's work is not enough to make this completely work.