Either way, as I now dip into the deep pot of culinary metaphors that every critic is issued for writing about "foodie" movies, this is a soufflé that's flat and heavy when it should be fluffy and light.
Zeta-Jones plays Kate Armstrong, a perfectionist New York chef who makes "Hell's Kitchen's" Gordon Ramsay look timid. Her only social contact outside her restaurant is her therapist (Bob Balaban), and she only sees him because her boss, Paula (Patricia Clarkson), threatened to fire her if she didn't.
Two simultaneous events disrupt Kate's well-ordered but lonely life. Her sister Christine (Arija Bareikis) is killed in a car accident, leaving Kate with custody of her 9-year-old niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin). Meanwhile, as Kate takes time off to deal with Christine's death, she finds her kitchen invaded by a temporary replacement chef, Nicholas Palmer (Aaron Eckhart), who is as loose in the kitchen as Kate is uptight.
When the script - not so much written by first-timer Carol Fuchs as transcribed verbatim from the sublime 2001 German original, "Mostly Martha" - tackles Kate's grief and Zoe's sense of abandonment, Hicks plucks the tear-jerking strings like a master (with an assist from Philip Glass' lugubrious score). But when the story moves to Kate's personality quirks and the inevitable romance between her and Nick, Hicks can't supply the light touch needed to make these scenes look effortless. It's no good if you can see Zeta-Jones strain to look disheveled and approachable.
What charms "No Reservations" possesses are because of Eckhart's easy smile and especially Breslin's ability to get us to laugh and cry with equal ease. While the movie feels underdone, Breslin's abundant talent remains hot.
SEAN P. MEANS can be reached at movies@sltrib.com or 801-257-8602. Send comments about this review to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
