No Reservations (Blu-ray) (2007)

"...as much a family saga as it is a romantic comedy.  Claudia Puig, USA Today
"...savory and delicious...Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart absolutely sizzle with sexy screen chemistry!  Clay Smith, The Insider
"...handsomely shot by Stuart Dryburgh and nicely acted...  Ken Fox, TV Guide
"...a good-looking, old-fashioned date movie set in an idealized Greenwich Village, evocative of the better Woody Allen films.  Liam Lacey, The Globe and Mail
"...charming and frothy and delightful and sentimental and beautifully shot and well-acted and sincere...  Robert Wilonsky, The Village Voice
"Agreeably prepared and attractively presented...by closely sticking to the original's smart story construction.  Todd McCarthy, Variety
"...pleasant and light...and its emotional crises are the crust on an acceptably edible creme brulee.  Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Editor's Note Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart are charming in the romantic comedy NO RESERVATIONS. Zeta-Jones stars as Kate, an executive chef at a popular restaurant in New York City's Greenwich Village. She is so dedicated to her job that she has no time for a personal life; she even brings gourmet cuisine to her therapist (Bob Balaban), feeding him food rather than opening up her soul. But her life changes when her sister dies in a car accident, leaving Kate to take care of her sister's young daughter, Zoe (Abigail Breslin, from LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE). Suddenly, Kate is responsible for more than just fancy dishes; she is responsible for another human being, which confounds her. After taking a few days off, she returns to her kitchen, only to find that the restaurant owner, Paula (Patricia Clarkson), has hired another chef to assist Kate, a playful, talkative, talented man named Nick (Aaron Eckhart) who likes listening to opera while he works (Kate considers that a major distraction) and so wins over the rest of the staff that Kate feels threatened. But deep down, she also feels a little attracted by the attention Nick pours on her. However, Kate is not sure she can mix being a mother, a master chef, and, perhaps, a lover. NO RESERVATIONS, based on the award-winning German film BELLA MARTHA (MOSTLY MARTHA) (Sandra Nettelbeck, 2001), is a satisfying soufflé of comedy and romance, directed by Scott Hicks (SHINE, SNOW FALLING ON CEDARS) and featuring a piano-based soundtrack by minimalist musician Philip Glass. And just as she did in LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, Breslin will both charm and break viewers' hearts.

	Aaron Eckhart
	Abigail Breslin
	Catherine Zeta-Jones
	Patricia Clarkson
	Barbara Ling - Production Designer
	Bruce Berman - Executive Producer
	Carol Fuchs - Screenplay
	Philip Glass - Original Music By
	Pip Karmel - Editor
	Sandra Nettelbeck - Based On Screenplay By
	Scott Hicks - Director
	Sergio Aguero - Producer
	Stuart Dryburgh - Cinematographer
	W. Steven Graham - Art Director

New York Times
"[T]he emotional details of Kate, Nick and Zoe's journeys are surprising, honest and life-size..." 07/27/2007 p.E8

USA Today
3 stars out of 4 -- "It is sumptuously photographed, particularly in capturing the culinary arts, as well as richly textured in its production design." 07/27/2007 p.14D

ReelViews 8 of 10
No Reservations is an adequate adaptation of Sandra Nettelbeck's 2001 German feature, Mostly Martha. While not as emotionally resonant as its inspiration and tending a little more toward melodrama, No Reservations is nevertheless a uplifting tale about love melting the heart of a cold, lonely woman. It's not exactly revolutionary territory but it is effectively presented and it will be hard to find viewers who aren't at least a little moved by what director Scott Hicks (Shine) has placed on the screen...The difficulty with No Reservations, as with any PG-rated adult-oriented drama (this movie would, in all likelihood, bore kids to death), is finding an audience. The film is charming and affecting but it's difficult to get summer audiences excited about a small character-based story centered around a lonely chef and a child who has lost her mother. No Reservations may not be a modern day classic but, despite the relatively small budget, it has more heart than nearly anything currently playing in multiplexes. It's perfect counterprogramming for anyone who wants more than pyrotechnics, testosterone, and special effects from two hours in a darkened auditorium. - James Berardinelli

Chicago Sun-Times 6 of 10
Here is a love story that ends, "and they cooked happily ever after." It's the story of Kate, a master chef who rules her kitchen like a warden, and Nick, perhaps equally gifted, who comes to work for her and is seen as a rival. Since Kate is played by the beautiful Catherine Zeta-Jones and Nick by the handsome Aaron Eckhart, is there little doubt they will end up stirring the same pots and sampling the same gravies?...The movie is focused on two kinds of chemistry: of the kitchen, and of the heart. The kitchen works better, with shots of luscious-looking food, arranged like organic still lifes. But chemistry among Nick, Kate and Zoe is curiously lacking, except when we sense some fondness -- not really love -- between Zoe and her potential new dad...There are some nice things in the film. Zeta-Jones is convincing as a short-tempered chef, if not as a replacement mom and potential lover. Clarkson balances on the tight wire a restaurant owner must walk. Bob Balaban, as Kate's psychiatrist, has a reserve that's comically maddening. Eckhart struggles manfully with an unconvincing character (is he really afraid to run his own kitchen?). We feel Abigail Breslin has the stuff to emerge as a three-dimensional kid, if she weren't employed so resolutely as a pawn. - Roger Ebert