Related Links

• AV Club Blog

More Movies

• Review: Hit man comedy 'In Bruges' mixes laughs, blood
• Coen brother, 'Old Men' top picks for Oscars
• Review: 'Be Kind Rewind' has funny bits, but not enough

MOST RECENT TRIB STORIES

• ABQTrib.com to remain available
  08:48 a.m., February 25, 2008
• Congressman is indicted
  08:37 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Series of attacks target Green Zone
  08:36 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Iran is defying U.N., agency says
  08:35 a.m., February 23, 2008
• Waterboarding approval probed
  08:34 a.m., February 23, 2008

TRIB IN THE BLOGOSPHERE*

• Albuquerque Old Town
• Ty Murray Invitational thrills fans in Albuquerque
• Is Rome Burning?
• Ominous Skies
• The Road to Invalidation

*Note: The Tribune does not create and is not responsible for the blogosphere's headlines and stories. These links to blogs talking about ABQTrib.com are automatically generated. Use them at your own risk.

STORY TOOLS

• E-mail story
• Comments
• iPod friendly
• Printer friendly

SHARE THIS STORY [?]

"No Reservations" may take place primarily at a chic New York restaurant, but it's strictly a comfort-food flick.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart star in the romantic comedy and bring glossy good looks to this remake of the delightful 2001 German film "Mostly Martha." Their acting is good, too, but it's the combination of Zeta-Jones' statuesque dark beauty and Eckhart's adorably rumpled blondness that draws you in first.

Oh, and "Little Miss Sunshine" herself, Abigail Breslin, is on hand to play wounded bird and matchmaker. She's definitely a keeper.

Zeta-Jones plays Kate, a no-nonsense workaholic chef who's reluctant to open up even to her therapist (Bob Balaban). Kate runs her kitchen with military precision, though restaurant boss Paula (Patricia Clarkson) has a slight upper hand.

When Kate's sister is killed, Kate doesn't know how to grieve, and she knows even less about taking care of her 9-year-old niece, Zoe (Breslin), for whom she becomes guardian. It's hard to make a child's schedule mesh with a day that begins with a dawn visit to the fish market and ends when the restaurant closes in the wee hours.

Kate is furious when Paula hires Nick (Eckhart) as sous chef to provide continuity while Kate gets used to Zoe and as trusted assistant Leah (Jenny Wade) prepares to give birth. Disciplined Kate is flummoxed by Nick's gregarious nature, and she suspects that his true goal is to take her job.

It's not hard to guess where things are going - especially for viewers who have seen "Mostly Martha." Screenwriter Carol Fuchs stays faithful to the original film for the most part, as well as to tried-and-true romantic-comedy traditions.

Zeta-Jones is very appealing as she lets Kate melt a piece at a time. It's easy to buy her portrayal of the ambitious and paranoid chef. Eckhart has a sketchier back story as the zestful Nick, but he fills up the holes with charm and larger-than-life likability.

Breslin doesn't have as much to do as she did in "Little Miss Sunshine," but she hits the right notes of sadness and recovery and comes across believably as a child, not as a miniature adult.

Directed by Scott Hicks ("Shine") on location in New York, "No Reservations" looks authentic but has that magical New York-movie quality of boasting garbage-free streets and ridiculously large apartments. And why shouldn't New York be as photogenic as the stars?

"No Reservations" doesn't want to serve food for thought. Its only goal is to quench the audience's appetite for a feel-good movie.