Watching a remake of the 2002 German film Mostly Martha, No Reservations is like getting up at midnight and raiding the fridge - it feels good while you're doing it, but you wouldn't dream of telling your friends about it the next day.
Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is the master chef at the upscale New York Restaurant, 22 Bleecker. Her life revolves around food. She hasn't been in a personal relationship for years and even dreads communicating with co-workers and customers at the restaurant. Her attitude is so dismal that her boss Paula (Patricia Clarkson) has ordered her to go to see a therapist (Bob Balaban). Shortly after the film begins, Kate is awaiting the arrival of her sister Christine and young niece Zoë (Abigail Breslin), when tragedy strikes. Just minutes before arriving, Christine is killed in a car accident, leaving Zoë in Kate's care.
Here No Reservations becomes a paint-by-the-numbers romantic comedy. During Kate's bereavement leave — where she begins to bond with the doe-eyed Zoë — Paula hires a an opera-loving sous chef named Nick (Aaron Eckhart) who looks an awful lot like Gerard Depardieu, enjoys life, and hits it off with the kitchen staff. Though Kate is initially unimpressed with the new intruder in her kitchen, Zoë and he become fast friends. Predictably Kate begins a transformation from ice queen to quasi-romantic.
No Reservations is a light-hearted romantic drama. Though the emotional ramifications of Zoe's mother's death are briefly examined and we are given brief glimpses as to why Kate is a total control freak, those issues are not the focus of the film. Presumably both Zeta-Jones and Eckhart didn't have to flex their acting muscles too hard to deliver performances for No Reservations. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who has always seemed a bit cold and hard around the edges, seems comfortable playing Kate. It felt like Aaron Eckhart was playing an over the top version of himself. Abigail Breslin... well, she's just plain cute and always ready with a witty line. Patricia Clarkson and Bob Balaban are a welcome addition to any film.
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