A perfectionist chef addicted to her work struggles to adjust when her sister passes away leaving her with a little girl to raise and a new soup-chef threatens to take over her kitchen with his high-spirited and free-wheeling ways.Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY/ROMANTIC COMEDY UPC: 085391139072 Manufacturer No: 113907
Achieving balance in one's life can be a difficult process, but master chef Kate Armstrong (Catherine Zeta-Jones) leads a regimented, very ordered existence running the kitchen of an exclusive restaurant and revels in the sense of power and control her career affords. When Kate's sister is unexpectedly killed in an automobile accident and her 9-year old niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin) comes to live with Kate, Kate's life is turned completely upside down and she is suddenly forced to split her focus between work and family. Enter a newly hired, fun-loving, opera-singing sous chef Nick Palmer (Aaron Eckhart), whom Kate perceives as a serious rival, and thus begins an impassioned struggle on Kate's part to rein in Nick's exuberance and maintain control over her kitchen staff. Even as they clash, Kate is inexplicably drawn toward Nick, eventually coming to the realization that Nick offers something that she needs both in her restaurant kitchen and her new life with Zoe. Based on the screenplay for Mostly Martha, Catherine Zeta-Jones carries the lead well in this romantic comedy and there's a nice chemistry between herself and Aaron Eckhart as well as a poignant performance by Abigail Breslin. And, of course, and the food looks simply scrumptious. --Tami Horiuchi
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
A predictable story but enjoyable to watch.:
This is one time when two chefs in the kitchen do not ruin the stew. An opportunity for you to see how hectic it can be in a professional kitchen. Loved the way Jones finally resolves the "rare steak" issue with a customer. Blu-ray is great.
Chef gets a life:
Catherine Zeta-Jones plays an uptight chef who is totally in charge of the kitchen where she works. She thinks that her life is tightly controlled, yet she is in therapy. Add one orphaned niece and a free-spirited, opera-loving sous chef and suddenly her life changes drastically. This is a pleasant movie--light and entertaining--but nothing you can't predict shortly after these two characters are introduced. The high points are the kitchen scenes and Abigail Breslin playing the part of the niece like the... more info
This is NOT a romantic comedy:
Like my title says, NOT a romantic comedy. It is boring. Very boring. It is an interesting story but falls far short of even the most basic expectations. This is a drama at best with maybe a couple of light moments. There is nothing in this movie that is funny and not even anything that will make you smile.
Just okay...:
I have to agree with the other reviewers on this. The plot is wholly predictable though well acted. It hardly qualifies as a romantic comedy because it simply isn't funny. Kate's character arch does allow her to let people in, but I'm not sure how she got so closed off-especially since her sister seemed quite the opposite. There was no real obstacle keeping these two from each other and what paper thin conflict they did have is resolved rather effortlessly.
