No Reservations is directed by Scott Hicks (Hearts In Atlantis) and stars Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, The Terminal), Aaron Eckhart (The Black Dahlia, Thank You For Smoking), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), and Patricia Clarkson (Miracle, All The King's Men.) The film, which is a remake of the 2001 German film Mostly Martha, follows the life of Kate Armstrong (Zeta-Jones), one of New York's finest cooks. Her life spirals out of control when her sister is killed, and she takes over as the mother figure for hew now-orphaned niece (Breslin.) It doesn't help things any that she isn't parent material, and has a difficult time understanding her newfound child. In the restaurant, she meets a new chef (Eckhart) who has a radically different approach to life. The twosome, despite their initial differences, grow to like one another, prompting Kate to change her whole outlook. ***

No Reservations is a surprisingly good film - it definitely surpassed this reviewer's expectations. Sure, the story here is nothing new, and the plotline even seems predictable at times, but that doesn't keep this from being a terrific romantic comedy - due mostly to the terrific performances by the principal cast. ***

Zeta-Jones fills the role of Kate perfectly, making this character all her own. This definitely stands as one of her finest performances of recent years. The same can be said of Nick, the Eckhart character. The chemistry between the twosome is well-done, and it's a believable love story that never goes too far over-the-top, thanks to their acting talents. But the true stand-out here (and for me the biggest surprise of the movie) is Abigail Breslin. Despite her young age, she contributes more to this movie than you'd expect. It's also worth noting that, at the time I write this review, she is the fourth youngest actress to be nominated for a competitive Academy Award (for her role in another film, Little Miss Sunshine.) Every member of the film's cast is impressive. No, this isn't a masterpiece. But these actors and actresses make it a solid, entertaining experience from start to finish. ---

Image And Sound:

Warner Bros. includes both pan-and-scan fullscreen and anamorphic widescreen transfers of the film - something more film companies need to do more often. Image quality is excellent, with crisp, clear picture throughout the feature. The majority of the audio in the film is dialogue, and it's all clear and easy to understand. ---

Sadly, the special features are quite sparse on this DVD. All we get is the Food Network episode of Unwrapped the covers the film, and real life chefs' efforts to make the performances in the film look convincing. Hosted by Marc Summers (Double Dare, What Would You Do?), it's an entertaining look behind the scenes. I only wish they'd included more bonus material here - a commentary would have been interesting.

Final Words: