No Reservations

Director Scott Hicks adapts German romantic-comedy Mostly Martha into this bland, yet oddly appetizing American film. Catherine Zeta-Jones stars as a controlling executive chef at an upscale New York City restaurant who demands perfection. When she adopts her niece (Abigail Breslin) after her sister’s sudden death, her ordered life crumbles. Predictably, the spontaneous opera-loving new sous chef (Aaron Eckhart) becomes the missing ingredient that completes her life. Although the Little Miss Sunshine cutie doesn’t seem to establish a real presence, and Carol Fuchs’ cookie-cutter screenplay doesn’t captivate, No Reservations makes for a subtle treat.