Ever since I saw the first trailers for No Reservations, I knew I had to see it first thing. This American adaptation of the 2002 German film, Mostly Martha, stays pretty close to the original story line--right down to the pregnant sous chef, Lea, who sports a supershort hair style--but with some notable exceptions. Now let me say up front--I love Mostly Martha. It ranks right up there with Sideways for the most frequently viewed food/wine DVD in our house. Funny thing is, I didn't love No Reservations in quite the same way and I think it had something to do with the translation of the film for an American audience.
In many ways, this film is an unconventional love triangle between a woman, a man and a child that takes place mostly in a restaurant. It is fascinating to watch this incredible chef who is wound so tight she can't even eat her own food, gradually unwind as a child and a love interest crash into her life and begin to open her heart. Beyond that, if you want details about the romance plot of the film you'll have to check one of the real reviews. I'm struck more by the food, aesthetics, and American concessions that were made in producing this new version.
In No Reservations, the restaurant has been transformed from the Lido to 22 Bleecker--on a corner in the West Village of Manhattan. Both films are shot with a beautiful austerity that, in the way of white plates, allows the food to take a starring role. But in typical American style, protagonist Kate Armstrong's apartment is larger and a bit more rich in texture than Martha Klein's flat.
There were other nuances that I missed from the original. For instance, when Mario begins cooking in Martha's kitchen in the German film, the conflict is not that he would begin cooking Italian food, the unspoken conflict is that he himself is Italian. On the other hand, the cooks in Kate's kitchen are more racially and ethnically diverse--a more authentic representation of an American restaurant. Another quibble: Kate takes a couple of pre-dawn trips to the Fulton Fish Market and we are treated to views of the Brooklyn Bridge. This would have been right on two years ago, but my beloved fish market relocated from South Street Seaport to the Hunts Point section of the Bronx in 2005.
I was delightfully surprised, though, by how similar the food remained in this adaptation. No Reservations begins with the quail (pigeon) soliloquy as in the original and scallops,fois gras, lobster, rack of lamb, dover sole, duck, and sea bass appear on the menu. In Mostly Martha the menu features scallops, lobsters, lamb, artichoke dishes, arugula salad, and rabbit along with the infamous quail with truffles. But there is also handmade pasta and gnocchi on Martha's menu and one of the controversies chef Mario brings with him is the concept of preparing fish and more lighter fare. By the way, you can download recipes for the quail with truffles and poached lobster in butter, among others from the movie website--click here.
In the end, however, I was left slightly disturbed by the changes made, I presume, to make this film more palatable to the American movie goer. Small things, like the flood of stuffed animals and toys that comes to Zoe when she first arrives seems like a bow to our consumerist culture--and that she has her own room--in the German version, Martha gives up her bedroom for little Lina. In the American version it is notable that it is the divorced neighbor who makes the first move on Kate and not the other way around as it happens in the original--we are not used to seeing Catherine Zeta-Jones being rebuffed, I guess.
But the biggest issue I had with the film was the plot line that revolved around Lina's desire to find her father--a man whom she had never met. It is this task that first brings Martha and Mario together in the German film. In No Reservations, this story line is completely absent which really makes the movie about Kate and Nick and Zoe's efforts to bring them together.
It is a cute and entertaining film, though, and it does wonders for reminding us of the pressure and craziness of the restaurant kitchen that we rarely get to see. It also makes the kitchen seem glamorous enough to inspire more folks to enroll in culinary school--a tough and expensive route that doesn't always lead to places like 22 Bleeker. But if you are looking for eloquent food and cooking metaphors for the difficulties and joys of life be sure to check out the Mostly Martha DVD.
Recent Comments