No Reservations embraces all the ingredients of an overcooked foodie plot: handsome man defrosts chilly beauty by warming up her ward.

The already raw-nerved chef inherits the custody of her young niece. While she juggles accidental motherhood, grief and job, her boss hires an Italian sous chef, Nick, to fill Kate's professional gaps. He, of course, lands in her emotional abyss. The littler lady, Zoe, is easy; he wins her over with a bowl of spaghetti.

The appetizing food (in HD) garners the movie some Michelin ratings, while Hollywood stars Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart garnish the casting. (Eckhart, however, with his thatched-broom-coif, looks extremely Nordic. Only his almost-arias intimate a Mediterranean flavor.) Abigail Breslin contributes her usual unusual precocious intelligence as the kid, and stellar Indie stalwart Patricia Clarkson plays Kate's boss.

Casting aside, composer Philip Glass, in what is for him a subdued score, perfects the musical cadence of culinary rhythms.

Special Features

Meanwhile back in the galley, the Features fill up on Food Network TV.

One segment reprises an episode of Emeril Live. Abigail and Aaron pitch pizzas as Emeril Lagasse recreates the movie's signature dishes.

On Unwrapped, an overly glamorous Catherine and a well coifed Aaron aerate their conversion from novice to quasi-cuisinier. Veritable chef Michael White covers the actors' initiation to the innards of haute eateries. Chef Lee Anne Wong elaborates on her No Reservations culinary creations. The TV shows are a perfect pairing for the film.

Lean as they are, the Special Features give a little insight into commercial kitchens, and a recipe for cooking like pros in your own home. With no reservations, a good sauce.

(Warner Home Video has also released No Reservations on the HD DVD format.)

Studio: Warner Brothers

Director: Scott Hicks

Cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson, Jenny Wade, Bob Balaban, Brian F. O'Byrne

Length: 105 minutes

Rated: PG

Video:
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1:66:1

Audio:
English:
  Dolby Digital 5.1
French:
  Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish:
  Dolby Digital 5.1

Subtitles:
English SDH, French, Spanish