No Reservations (2007)

Director: Scott Hicks

Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones as Kate, Aaron Eckhart as Nick, Abigail Breslin as Zoe, Patricia Clarkson as Paula, Jenny Wade as Leah, Bob Balaban as Therapist, Brian F. O'Byrne as Sean, Lily Rabe as Bernadette, Eric Silver as John, Arija Bareikis as Christine, John McMartin as Mr. Peterson, Celia Weston as Mrs. Peterson, Zoë Kravitz as Charlotte, Matthew Rauch as Ken, Dearbhla Molloy as Anna

Very likable even for a formula romcom, mainly because of the terrific
casting and performances of the actors.

The forever beautiful and talented Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, The
Mask of Zorro) is spot on as Kate, a workaholic chef at hoity toity 22
Bleeker. Kate unexpectedly inherits her niece Zoe, played tremendously
well by Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine). Real-life motherhood
must have enabled Zeta-Jones to show her softer side with the restraint
her character called for.

Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking, Black Dahlia) is Nick, the
Italian-trained, opera-singing, charismatic new chef who invades Kate's
precision-perfect French kitchen. Nick is Kate's quintessential
opposite and eventually helps her sort out her trust issues and even
enhances her parenting skills.

It is refreshing to see CZJ back on the silver screen where she
belongs, and playing a non-glamorous character for once, even sans
makeup in some scenes. At 38 years old, that is a brave feat indeed
(and this courage is consistent with all the flawed characters she
likes to play).

Her on screen chemistry with Eckhart is positively sizzling, and his
cockiness to her coolness effectively makes you forget about the trite
plot. While Zeta-Jones has also been criticized for being too beautiful
for the role of a lonely chef, that is actually one of the ironies of
life that this movie uncovers: beauty and talent doesn't really
guarantee bliss.

Despite the awful MTV-like montage of the trio grocery shopping and the
rest of the unspectacular elements, overall, the movie makes you feel
for the characters. You leave the cinema all warm and fuzzy, and that
makes the execution of No Reservations a success.