NO RESERVATIONS

REVIEWED BY CARISSA HORTON

Our rating: 4 out of 5

Because of: language, thematic elements

Rated:

Sometimes, life struggles drag a person down. But Kate (Catherine Zeta-Jones) doesn't let hardship and heartache stop her, not even when she suddenly finds herself as a mom to her orphaned niece Zoe (Abigail Breslin). Instead, she presses on with the same gusto for survival that she holds for her occupation as a chef. The only problem is that she smells an interloper on the horizon of her job.

While on leave for a week to care for Zoe and help her adjust to living together, Nick (Aaron Eckhart) springs himself on the restaurant where Kate is employed. And right into her position. Wandering into the restaurant and finding an Italian chef in her place, for however brief a time, almost sends her over the edge and running to her therapist (Bob Balaban) to vent. A tentative peace reigns between them with Nick doing everything possible to prove that he isn't after Kate's position but only wants to learn from her.

Work issues aside, Kate also is forced to acknowledge the pain both she and Zoe are suffering due to the loss of Christine (Arija Bareikis), beloved sister and mother. Zoe won't eat any of the meals prepared for her by Kate, sending auntie into frantic searches for new dishes. Until Nick steps into their struggling circle with a bright, cheesy grin and a bowl of delectable spaghetti. Zoe's affections are won immediately, but Kate can't help her reservations concerning him. Trusting someone completely sometimes hurts. Can she learn to take the risk?

Most PG rated romance flicks are extremely clean. No Reservations follows such predecessors as The Lake House and Return to Me in like fashion. However, there is an alcohol issue. Kate returns home with Nick one night practically stumbling up the stairs in a giddy frenzy from too much wine. And the drinking doesn't happen just once but numerous times. Then there is the issue of whether Kate and Nick slept together or not. A passionate kissing scene is displayed between them, but fully clothed. Since we have no idea of how late he arrived at her house, extreme lateness is implied, and since they are fully clothed when we see them in the morning, it's possible the kissing went no further. Left up to the viewer. Also Kate doesn't know the name of Zoe's father, indicating an illicit relationship between Christian and Mr. Whoever.

Not much in the way of language (apart from one GD), but there is some amount of sexual innuendo mostly from Nick and Bernadette, one of the waitresses, concerning how Pavaratti affects someone's love life. No implication that they're referring to each other, but that she simply followed his advice concerning music. At one point Zoe dashes into traffic while running away from Kate, disturbing because that is apparently how her mother died with Zoe in the car. After the accident which took her mother, Zoe is seen in a hospital bed with cuts on her face. A little girl also runs away from home sending people on a panicky search for her (successful).

As usual, Catherine Zeta-Jones is brilliant. I never expect anything short of excellence from her performances and was not disappointed. There's the comedic side to this character and the serious side, both portrayed accurately and effectively. This is my first film in witnessing the performance of Aaron Eckhart so I wasn't sure what to expect. What a found was an enormously funny guy, witty and charming, flawed in many regards, but also likeable. Fabulous acting for an interesting role. As for Abigail Breslin, it's as if I'm watching her grow up. Adorable in Signs, pitiable in Raising Helen, and loveable in No Reservations. A talented little actress; this girl is going places if she continues with the same star caliber performance. Romantic comedy isn't the right term for this film. Perhaps family drama suits it better. You laugh at many moments because this film is genuinely funny. But it also has its deeper moments where people deal in real heart to heart issues. For a little girl who's just lost her mom, life is hard and lonely. For a woman always independent it's difficult being thrust into motherhood. But somehow they survive, together, forming a new family, a new bond, and a new love. Don’t let too many reservations stop you from enjoying a wonderful hour and a half at the movies with Catherine and Aaron.