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Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart discover too many cooks don't always spoil the broth in this restaurant romantic comedy
Romantic comedies are as difficult to perfect as souffl??s: try too hard to get that extra bit of lift and they could end up as flat as a pancake. Fortunately, this sweet and gooey culinary comedy gets its ingredients sorted early on - mainly because it filches its recipe from German culinary comedy Mostly Martha. Take Kate (Zeta-Jones), an uptight Manhattan chef with commitment issues; mix in a recently orphaned niece (Breslin). Simmer the strained adult/child relationship for half-an-hour, then blend in a cheekily exuberant sous chef (Eckhart) with a passion for Pavarotti and a nice way with kids. Bring the love/hate, will-they-won't-they? comedy to the boil and simmer for another 30 minutes. Melt the audience with a sweet turnaround and serve while still hot. The result should be awful, but it's actually surprisingly charming, with two underplayed turns from the stars giving it just enough acerbic panache. The plot follows its German predecessor almost to the letter. After her sister is killed in a road accident, Kate finds her life in turmoil. Not only is she saddled with a nine-year-old niece but her restaurant replacement is Nick, an exuberant Italian chef with a passion for 'Nessun Dorma'. They're mismatched opposites: she runs her kitchen like Gordon Ramsay on steroids and doesn't have a clue how to deal with kids; he's more like Jamie Oliver - loud, brash and great at getting nippers to chow down on wholesome grub. The inevitable war of attrition blossoms into an on/off romance as Kate and Nick find their different styles complement each other perfectly. Director Scott Hicks (Shine) gives his stars room to breathe and lets the screenplay do the rest. Zeta-Jones is at her least objectionable, nailing the character's uptight perfectionism in a hilarious scene where she deals with an objectionable customer who doesn't know the definition of a rare steak. Tender moments with Breslin add human warmth and prove that Dakota Fanning doesn't have a monopoly on these sorts of pre-teen kiddie roles. Eckhart makes the most out of a barely written role that requires him to do some comic mugging and pester Zeta-Jones over "the secret of her saffron sauce" (it's unclear whether that's supposed to be a metaphor for something else or not). The snippy undercurrent keeps it lively: one smart set-up looks like its leading towards a first kiss until Eckhart reveals he's trying to free his arm from under her. In-between the lovey-dovey stuff, Hicks showcases food dishes of a standard normally only found in a particularly competitive episode of 'The F Word'. Best of all, before it outstays its welcome Hicks clicks his fingers and orders the bill. Verdict This take it or leave it romantic comedy probably wouldn't get many Michelin stars, but it's not the turkey twizzler you might expect. |
