No Reservations

Posted by Nathan Deen (nathan@filmschoolrejects.com) on July 22, 2007

Based on the 2002 German film “Mostly Martha,” “No Reservations” is a nice and sweet summer treat. So surprisingly witty and emotionally absorbing, it’s an impressive little film that far exceeds expectations. The premise isn’t all that original but this dish isn’t overcooked nor undercooked, it’s just right.

This is the third film of the summer to take place in a restaurant (the others being “Ratatouille” and “Waitress”). The movie plays it straight, not concerned with it’s lack of originality but with it’s script and its characters. The characters feel much more human than your average romantic comedy. The cast is terrific and the movie is as adorable as Abigail Breslin is.

The main character is Kate, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones in one of the better performances of her career. She’s one of New York’s top chefs but has some anger management (required by her boss to undergo therapy) issues because she can’t stand it when a customer complains about her cooking. Expecting a visit from her sister and her niece, she is devastated to learn that her sister had died in a car crash on the way over. Her niece, Zoe (Breslin) is without a father and has nowhere to go.

This part of the film is emotionally heartfelt and solidly executed with great performances by Breslin and Zeta Jones accompanied by an outstanding music score from Oscar winner Phillip Glass. After taking a week off from work to get Zoe settled into her apartment, Kate comes back to work to discover that a talented new chef, Nick Palmer (Aaron Eckhart), has joined the team. Kate’s first impression is that Nick is trying to win her job but through Zoe the two eventually begin to fall for each other. We all know this is coming as we do with all romantic comedies (predictability is always a problem with these films) but with the charm of it’s cast and well written and actually humorous scenes, director Scott Hicks (“Hearts in Atlantis”) and writers Carol Fuchs and Sandra Nettlebeck still manage to cook up a winner.

In most romantic comedies, the character of Nick would usually be forgettable and almost useless, only to play a love interest but have nothing to do with the main storyline. However, wearing his pajamas and a pair of Crocs to work everyday and with a list of funny punch-lines, Eckhart steals the show with a charming performance that reminded me of a classic Robin Williams performance.

Abigail Breslin, as she did in “Little Miss Sunshine,” stands out as well as the astute and adorable Zoey. She may be a little too smart for her age, but the advantage is the dramatic scenes are more intelligent than they would be if she were the average little girl.

Not forgetting about the film’s star, Zeta-Jones’ Kate is no exception to a film full of great characters. The chemistry between these three characters is always there and almost effortlessly so. They make all the key scenes work and thus the movie feels fresh and intelligent. Even the first romantic scene between Nick and Kate is funny.

“No Reservations” is just a likable little film that does so much without trying too hard. The storyline and the characters feel realistic and human. It also strikes a good balance between how many smiles it puts on your face and how many tears in your eyes. I don’t see how it could have much better than it was. Despite a couple of cheesy catch phrases and it’s predictability, I was won over by the cast here. “No Reservations” is a delightful surprise and also the best date movie of the year.

Read more articles by Nathan Deen