Warner Bros., Castle Rock Entertainment and Village Roadshow Pictures present a PG film directed by Scott Hicks and starring Catherine Zeta-Jones (Kate), Aaron Eckhart (Nick), Abigail Breslin (Zoe), Patricia Clarkson (Paula), Jenny Wade (Leah), Bob Balaban (Therapist), Brian F. O'Byrne (Sean), Lily Rabe (Bernadette), Eric Silver (John), Arija Bareikis (Christine), Zoe Kravitz (Charlotte), Matthew Rauch (Ken) and Dearbhla Molloy (Anna).
Kate is one of the better chefs in New York. Praised by her boss and patrons to 22 Bleecher, a fine restaurant in the city. Her life is enveloped by her job so much so that she regularly seeks the help of a professional therapist to help her sort through her daily routine of life and the reasons why she still lives alone.
One evening Kate receives a call at the restaurant from a local hospital that her sister died in a car accident and Zoe, Kate's niece, survived. At this moment nothing in Kate's life would remain the same. Sometimes though it is the change in our daily patterns that help us to find out who we are and where we belong, ultimately creating our true destiny. People react to tragedy in several ways, some become recluse from the ones they love while in Kate's case she threw herself more into work. Personally, I can relate to the latter and other than being a chef, understanding what its like to shut yourself off from life's simple pleasures and rather drown yourself in work.
In a letter from her sister, she had asked Kate, that if anything had ever happened to her she wished that Kate would raise Zoe, since the father was no where to be found. Emotions run long and deep in this film, memories are relived with music, photos, conversations and home movies, all the elements so real and familiar to trying to cope with the loss of a loved one and the fear of thinking you might someday forget them. You will never forget them but hopefully come to the understanding that life goes on for however short and different it may be with or without the bright lights of their souls that shined down a dark or uncertain path.
This film is beautifully acted by all the main characters especially Zeta-Jones who brings truth and honesty to her role. Breslin was perfect and definitely drew you into her life and feelings with enough believability that you felt her pain and sorrow for the loss of her mother and the feelings of unfamiliar new territory. When Kate is faced with taking time off as a chef to work her way through her own grief and that of Zoe, Paula her boss is faced with hiring a stand in, enter Eckhart, who eventually becomes a threat yet an interest to Kate. Both Eckhart and Clarkson are superb in this film and the supporting cast is like a fine wine to an already exquisite meal.
Even though much of the film surrounded the preparations of fine recipes, it was the food that played the back drop to the relationships between all the characters right up to the heart warming climax. The score was a brilliant feast for the soul and so fitting to a perfectly directed and written film that it makes me want to run to the nearest music outlet to buy it.
Becoming a new mother is a trial and error situation for Kate along with a struggle of adjustment for Zoe. Meals are unfamiliar, people are strangers, even the one time baby sitter looked like a love child of Marilyn Manson, scary enough in itself. Everything leads Kate, Zoe and eventually Nick into a realization of what is important in life and that when one is blessed with a good child every day becomes a holiday for everyone involved. Sometimes in life it is the unpredictable that is true happiness in the making. Everything in everyday involves trust and work is only a part of life and should not be ones entire breath because in the end it is the ones who truly love you that truly appreciate you.
So what is the cookbook for life? Well, maybe you'll find out at Zoë's, Kate's and Nick's with no reservations needed. For an absolute delightful film that will surely appeal to the women movie goers more than the men I must say I was truthfully thrilled with this heart warming dramatic laced with comedic moments romance film. Trust me it's sure to tickle your taste buds and leave you savoring its brilliantly prepared ingredients right down to the finished dish.
Reporting for Talkin' Pets, I'm Jon Patch