Woman on Top

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

As a goofy little fantasy, however, this film has loads of charm.

Miami Herald Curtis Morgan

A charming confection spun from pure whimsy.

USA Today Andy Seiler

All coy and fey -- and painless to digest.

Variety Lisa Nesselson

A fantastical romp with a buoyant pace, exotic locations, a finger-popping score, appealing leads and spicy cooking demonstrations.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

This is the kind of movie you sort of like, and yet even while you're liking it, you're thinking how much better these characters and this situation could have been with a little more imagination and daring.

New York Post Jonathan Foreman

Prime date fare, but cotton-candy light and occasionally just a little too whimsical.

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

Tries too hard to be playful and sensual, wacky and romantic, and comes away feeling fake and prefabricated instead.

Chicago Tribune Marc Caro

A dish that's pretty easy to swallow, but if it could have borrowed some of Isabella's more potent spices, it might have boasted a more lasting flavor.

Boston Globe Jay Carr

A romantic fairy tale that's light and in several ways seductive, if not exactly filling.

LA Weekly John Patterson

Relentlessly positive and optimistic, the film is also likable, in the most chaste way imaginable.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

This gently satirical farce is atmospheric when dabbling in religion--the chef turns to spiritual magic to defuse her passion for her husband--and moving during her heart-to-hearts with her friend.

Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy

Awfully sloppy entertainment, built on a script with only a glancing acquaintance with logic, filled with uneven performances and staged with a near-amateur touch for comedy.

The New York Times A.O. Scott

This would-be spicy film has been made blandly palatable.

TV Guide Maitland McDonagh

Bright, bubbly and thoroughly inconsequential.

Baltimore Sun Ann Hornaday

Lovely to look at and listen to but doesn't reward any closer study.

Austin Chronicle Russell Smith

Thanks to this relentlessly likable film's playful sexuality and utter lack of pretension it's surprisingly easy to let all of one's objections float away on a fragrant cloud of kitchen sweat, pheromones, and sweet lime zest.

San Francisco Examiner Wesley Morris

Not the sweaty midnight stroll through the garden of carnal delights that its title wants you to believe.

New York Daily News Jack Mathews

Gets the proportions all wrong -- too much magic, not enough realism.

San Francisco Chronicle Bob Graham

Wants to be a brightly colored bubble but has trouble getting aloft.

Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson

Predictable, tame dreariness.

Village Voice Jessica Winter

Too flimsily built and baldly unfunny to bolster Cruz's charms, but Almodóvar's blessed Virgin is, as usual, winning and guilelessly seductive.

Washington Post Desson Thomson

Never the magic charmer it sets out to be.

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

Has all the mood enhancing flavor of a tropical cocktail made with watered down rum and fake fruit juice.

Film.com John Hartl

The visual fireworks and catchy score just underline the extreme superficiality of the material.

Film.com Robert Horton

There is something especially irritating about whimsy done badly.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Cruz is a dish, but her movie is as soggy and indigestible as Styrofoam.

Salon.com Stephanie Zacharek

Just a string of cute gags and pouting on Isabella's part that's supposed to signify soul-searching.

Dallas Observer Bill Gallo

Consistently fails to deliver the charm it presumes to have.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

If Penélope Cruz were any less attractive, maybe someone would have noticed how dull this mild, would-be romantic fairy tale has turned out.

TNT RoughCut Andy Klein

This is as close to a total wipeout as can be imagined.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

The mind will be starved for subtlety, wit and substance.