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34
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36
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xx
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31
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41
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67
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54
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49
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34
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57
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xx
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71
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61
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65
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79
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35
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73
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24
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37
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xx
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58
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48
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55
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22
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69
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44
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53
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76
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37
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37
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61
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47
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55
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33
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93
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64
Wanted
36
What Happens in Vegas...
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
93
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79
Iron Man
76
Shine a Light
73
Kung Fu Panda
71
Horton Hears a Who!
69
Redbelt
67
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
62
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
61
Stop Loss
61
Incredible Hulk, The
58
Mist, The
57
Forbidden Kingdom, The
57
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
55
Street Kings
55
Nim's Island
55
Baby Mama
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
49
Hancock
48
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
47
Strangers, The
44
Ruins, The
41
Drillbit Taylor
37
Made of Honor
37
Shutter
37
Speed Racer
36
College Road Trip
36
What Happens in Vegas...
35
Jumper
34
Happening, The
34
10,000 B.C.
33
Superhero Movie
31
Deception
24
Love Guru, The
22
Postal
xx
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
xx
Mamma Mia!
xx
Dark Knight, The
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

83
Alexandra
80
Band's Visit, The
76
Beauty in Trouble
47
Bella
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
59
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55
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60
Brick Lane
70
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49
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83
Chop Shop
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
78
Counterfeiters, The
52
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64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
73
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84
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52
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79
Encounters at the End of the World
62
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64
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51
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57
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86
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63
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60
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45
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55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
69
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74
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63
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68
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34
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68
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55
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69
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60
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62
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63
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82
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38
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70
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64
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30
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33
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53
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75
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52
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52
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71
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84
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61
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69
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61
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72
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51
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55
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29
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79
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71
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56
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51
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76
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66
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70
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62
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72
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81
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56
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xx
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71
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54
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70
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72
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83
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56
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86
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79
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62
Wackness, The
37
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64
Water Lilies
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
55
Without the King
72
Woman on the Beach
64
XXY
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
75
Young@Heart
86
Up the Yangtze
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
84
My Winnipeg
84
Edge of Heaven, The
83
Chop Shop
83
Paranoid Park
83
Alexandra
83
U2 3D
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
82
Last Mistress, The
81
Tell No One
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Band's Visit, The
79
Reprise
79
Encounters at the End of the World
79
Visitor, The
78
Counterfeiters, The
76
Beauty in Trouble
76
Shotgun Stories
75
Young@Heart
75
Mongol
74
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
73
Duchess of Langeais, The
72
Woman on the Beach
72
Priceless
72
Tuya's Marriage
72
Surfwise
71
To the Limit
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
71
Roman de gare
70
Standard Operating Procedure
70
Trumbo
70
Love Songs
70
Caramel
69
Go-Getter, The
69
Operation Filmmaker
69
Jellyfish
68
Kabluey
68
Heartbeat Detector
68
Honeydripper
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
66
Son of Rambow
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
64
Married Life
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
64
XXY
64
Water Lilies
64
Fall, The
63
Foot Fist Way, The
63
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
Wackness, The
62
Stuck
62
Expired
62
Kiss the Bride
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
61
On the Rumba River
60
Fugitive Pieces
60
Brick Lane
60
Jihad for Love, A
59
Blind Mountain
57
Flawless
56
Unknown Woman
56
Then She Found Me
56
Sangre de mi sangre
55
Quid Pro Quo
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
55
Irina Palm
55
Bra Boys
55
Without the King
54
Tracey Fragments, The
53
Mister Lonely
52
Diminished Capacity
52
Elsa & Fred
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
51
Finding Amanda
51
Promotion, The
51
Savage Grace
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
47
Bella
45
Full Grown Men
38
Life Before Her Eyes, The
37
War, Inc.
34
Holding Trevor
33
Miss Conception
30
Meet Bill
29
Red Roses and Petrol
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
No Reservations
Warner Bros.
 |
|
FILM:
MPAA RATING: PG for some sensuality and language
Starring
Catherine Zeta-Jones,
Aaron Eckhart,
Abigail Breslin,
Bob Balaban,
Jenny Wade,
Brian F. O'Byrne,
and
Patricia Clarkson
Master chef Kate Armstrong lives her life like she runs her kitchen at a trendy Manhattan eatery with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivates and intimidates everyone around her. Kate's perfectionist nature is put to the test when she "inherits" her nine-year-old niece Zoe, while contending with a brash new sous-chef who joins her staff. High-spirited and freewheeling, Nick Palmer couldn't be more different from Kate, yet the chemistry between them is undeniable. Rivalry becomes romance, but Kate will have to learn to express herself beyond the realm of her kitchen if she wants to connect with Zoe and find true happiness with Nick.
(Warner Bros.)
| GENRE(S): |
Comedy
|
Drama
|
Romance
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Carol Fuchs
Sandra Nettelbeck
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Scott Hicks
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: February 12, 2008
Theatrical: July 27, 2007
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
USA / Australia |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
By far the best thing about it is Zeta-Jones.

75
USA Today
Claudia Puig
The romance, which commences rather gradually, is tender, but not graphic. Humor is interspersed throughout, but there also is sadness, handled seriously. Actually, it is as much a family saga as it is a romantic comedy.

75
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
See it after you've eaten dinner. And don't see if you've recently been to "Ratatouille."

75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
No Reservations may not be a modern day classic but, despite the relatively small budget, it has more heart than nearly anything currently playing in multiplexes.

70
Variety
Todd McCarthy
Agreeably prepared and attractively presented, this remake of the tasty 2001 German feature "Mostly Martha" bears too many earmarks of Hollywood packaging and emotional button-pushing, but doesn't go far wrong by closely sticking to the original's smart story construction.

70
Village Voice
Robert Wilonsky
The cynic would like to write this off as empty grown-up hooey, "Baby Boom" without an ounce of bang. But you can't do it, because the thing's so charming and frothy and delightful and sentimental and beautifully shot and well-acted and sincere that it takes a good couple of hours before you start craving real nourishment.

70
The New York Times
Matt Zoller Seitz
The emotional details of Kate, Nick and Zoe’s journey are surprising, honest and life-size, and the film’s determination to present their predicament sympathetically, without appealing to retrograde ideals of femininity and motherhood, makes it notable, and in some ways unique.

63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Liam Lacey
A passable romantic dish, a good-looking, old-fashioned date movie set in an idealized Greenwich Village, evocative of the better Woody Allen films.

63
TV Guide
Ken Fox
It's handsomely shot by Stuart Dryburgh and nicely acted, and if it tastes a bit bland, you'll soon forget that, along with just about everything else about it.

63
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
The movie's pleasant and light, though, and its emotional crises are the crust on an acceptably edible crème brulee.

63
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
It takes its plot from the 2001 German film about a workaholic chef, dumbing down the original slightly and inserting a couple of phony crises. You're spared not only subtitles but subtlety.

63
Miami Herald
Connie Ogle
Fails to offer a single moment you don't see coming but its cast is appealing, and it provides a welcome respite from young wizards, talking robots that turn into trucks and other staples of this long, hot, boy-focused summer.

63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
Alas, not even Eckhart and Breslin can get Zeta-Jones to simmer.

60
Film Threat
Stina Chyn
I generally wince at the thought of a foreign film receiving a Hollywood do-over, but No Reservations satisfactorily Americanizes its German predecessor by taking an originally more serious story and adding to it a lighter, more comedic tone.

58
Entertainment Weekly
Lisa Schwarzbaum
It's fun to see the glamorous actress turn down her movie-star flame, but it's a pity she's stuck with so many trite gestures on Kate's journey to fulfillment.

50
Wall Street Journal
Joanne Kaufman
It's plain old lousy timing, this chronicle of a dedicated, exacting chef being released in the wake of the kitchen-centered "Ratatouille" and "Waitress." Alongside those two charmers, which beautifully demonstrate the transformative powers of food and love, No Reservations is strictly cordon blah.

50
The Hollywood Reporter
Kirk Honeycutt
The film feels miscast. Neither Zeta-Jones nor Eckhart look the least bit comfortable in a restaurant kitchen. More troubling, they look downright uncomfortable with each other.

50
Slate
Dana Stevens
Five years from now, this bland and forgettable throwaway will be remembered only for Breslin, who will by then be a poised and gifted 16-year-old actress.

50
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
No Reservations succeeds as well as it does (kinda sorta) by virtue of Zeta-Jones' performance.

50
Washington Post
Hank Stuever
There's already a crazy behind-the-scenes restaurant movie out this summer, and it's got a better story, and it's a cartoon, and it stars a rat.

50
Chicago Tribune
Michael Phillips
After seeing No Reservations you'll be hungry for a really top-flight meal. And, to go with it, a better film.

50
Chicago Sun-Times
Roger Ebert
The movie is focused on two kinds of chemistry: of the kitchen, and of the heart. The kitchen works better.

50
Premiere
Glenn Kenny
The kitchen action here is pretty diverting -- everybody involved seems to have boned up on their Bourdain and Buford, and having done so, sanitized what they've gleaned with Hollywood polish.

50
Baltimore Sun
Chris Kaltenbach
Too bad director Scott Hicks and screenwriter Carol Fuchs didn't look more closely at their source material, a 2001 German film called Mostly Martha. That film used the same basic premise but injected real conflict into the mix, in ways sexual, culinary, even ethnic. That film tried to do something, even while it was entertaining us.

50
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Even the food - usually the centerpiece of a restaurant movie - is oddly uninspired. Despite Zeta-Jones' best efforts, barely a moment here feels organic, or fresh.

50
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
A soufflé of a romantic and family comedy that stubbornly refuses to rise.

42
Portland Oregonian
M. E. Russell
The romance is boring. Everything is blandly good-looking. The emotional beats are so programmed, you can predict the entrance of every single note of the Philip Glass dirge of a score. And the title means nothing beyond its double-entendre.

42
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Keith Phipps
No Reservations is pretty much the dramatic equivalent of a burger and fries, however pretty the presentation.

40
Los Angeles Times
Carina Chocano
The movie feels stubbornly, resolutely disingenuous and one-dimensional. Everything in it isdesigned to make you feel better, so why does it feel artificial and palliative in that really depressing way?

40
Salon.com
Stephanie Zacharek
Sometimes movies make sense in a logical way; sometimes they make only emotional sense. No Reservations makes no damned sense at all.

40
Empire
Angie Errigo
It’s sufficiently well done to qualify as cute, quite the thing for a girlie outing with grub after, but it’s utterly phoney baloney.

30
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
I don't believe in fixing things that aren't broken. Sandra Nettelbeck's wholly accessible "Mostly Martha" (2001) is one of the most delightful comedies of recent years, so the idea of a remake with English instead of German dialogue is already pretty dubious, an insult to the capacities of both audiences and the original filmmakers.

25
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
It takes a winning recipe and adds some distinctly Hollywood flavors...The result is a botched job.


The average user rating for this movie is 6.5 (out of 10) based on 25 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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