SVS: “Mostly Martha”

Hey, look! Another film about cooking and chefs and saving one’s relationships with one’s children through cooking and chefs! Because last month’s Chef recommendation was just the tip of the “Damaged Family Saved Through The Creation And Consumption Of Fine Cuisine” genre iceberg.

OK, I made that last part up. It’s pro’lly not really a genre, though the NY Times’ review does call it “the latest addition — and a quite adorable one — to the cooking melo-comedy subgenre.” Still, the fact that there are two such films (at least) amuses me. The fact that they’re both great? That’s just gravy/icing on the cake/food metaphor of your choice.

This one’s called Mostly Martha. It’s definitely German, but with a healthy dash of Italian. And it’s delicious. (Also, on NETFLIX INSTANT, AMAZON INSTANT($), YOUTUBE($), and MORE($).)

When a headstrong chef takes charge of her equally stubborn 8-year-old niece, the tensions between them mount… until an Italian sous-chef arrives to lighten the mood.

Ugh, Aggressively Cheerful Voice-Over Guy! Dial it down a notch or eleven, could you?

Don’t let that thoroughly Americanised trailer scare you away. Actually, you know what? Let’s start over. Here’s a clip that’ll give you a better flavor of the film.

There’s nothing terribly ground-breaking or surprising about the story, but it’s a wonderful example of the charm and verve that can be brought to a fairly straightforward script by its cinematic ingredients. In this case, it’s the subtle-yet-satisfying performances of Martina Gedeck and Sergio Castellitto (and young Maxime Foerste) that add the most flavor to the film, enhanced by an understated-yet-competent directorial and visual style, and topped off with a charmingly jazzy-bluesy soundtrack that is pretty much the perfect garnish. (Make that a “mostly charmingly jazzy-bluesy” score, because in addition to such staples as Keith Jarrett, Dean Martin, and Louis Primo, it also features a bit from Arvo Pärt, who is not jazzy. Or bluesy.)

All in all, a dish that is sure to satisfy. Bon appetit!

Oh. and just in case that trailer didn’t give you adequate warning that the film might not be well-served by Hollywood, don’t watch the American remake. Please. I’m begging you. This one’s charming, gratifying, and heart-warming, but No Reservations (despite its more famous stars) is just flavorless. Or maybe it fails because of its more famous stars, not in spite of them. Gedeck, Castellitto, and their fellow cast-members feel like real people, not performers. And there’s something about the clash/contrast of cultures — in terms of cuisine, personality, and expectations — that works so much better here than with Zeta-Jones and Eckhart.

Definitely go for the original on this one, not the knock-off.

Attribution(s): All posters, publicity images, and stills are the property of Paramount Pictures and other respective production studios and distributors.