| | | In Martha's enchanted kitchen, a recipe for passion is starting to simmer.
Features: DVD
In a small, charming city, the head chef for a chic restaurant, Martha (Martina Gedeck) relies on her culinary skills as her primary means of communication. She lives for her work and presides with obsessive care over her precise, spotless kitchen. When a fateful accident leaves Lina (Maxine Foerste), her eight-year-old headstrong niece, in her care, Martha's orderly life begins to come undone. When the owner is consequently forced to bring in help, Martha and the new charming and carefree Italian chef (Sergio Castellitto) are instantly at odds. Yet as time goes by, with her whole world turned upside down and her personal space more crowded than she could ever imagine, Martha finds love and the beginnings of a new recipe for life.
"...honest writing, sensitive direction and genuinely touching performances..." Michael O'Sullivan, Washongton Post
"A heaping romantic comedy." Jan Stuart, Newsday
"A very bright, very affecting romantic comedy-drama." Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune
"A tasty treat! A delicious romantic comedy!" Leah Rozen, People Magazine
"Sparkling and funny!" Laura Winters, The New York Times
Editor's Note
German director Sandra Nettelbeck whips up a tasty entry in the burgeoning "love and food" romance genre with MOSTLY MARTHA, the tragicomic tale of an uptight professional chef who finds her world turned upside down when she becomes the caretaker for her newly orphaned niece Lina (Maxime Foerste). Martina Gedeck stars as Martha, whose obsession with precision gourmet cooking extends to discussing recipes with her bewildered therapist (August Zirner) and verbally attacking anyone at the restaurant who attempts to send her food back. When she's forced to expand her life to include Lina, her hermetic world begins to crumble. Sullen, despondent, and--worst of all--refusing to eat, Lina proves herself more than a match for Martha's iron will. Enter a boisterous, life-embracing Italian chef (Sergio Castellitto) who's been hired at the restaurant without Martha's consent, and the table is set. Sparks fly, personalities clash, and simmering, repressed emotions come bubbling to the frothy surface. Though perhaps not the most original recipe, the acting here is as impeccable as the cooking, and the cinematography, by longtime Nettlebeck-collaborator Michael Bertl, infuses the food and locales with glistening, sumptuous warmth.
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Selection | | Widescreen Version Enhanced For 16x9 TVs | | Audio: German 5.1 Surround | | Subtitles: English |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Paramount |
| Release Date: 12/30/2003 |
| Running Time: 107 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2002 | | Catalog ID: 340804 | | UPC: 00097363408048 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: German | | Available Audio Tracks: German | | Available Subtitles: English | | Video: Color |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...Adorable....The movie itself has a trim, ticking precision....The final confection is extremely enjoyable..." 08/16/2002 p.E16USA Today
"...MARTHA is an import anchored by a wonderful, understated performance....Visually delicious..." 08/23/2002 p.4E Box Office
"...Nettelbeck's refreshingly schmaltz-free story is really about the heart rather than the taste buds..." 09/01/2002 p.144 Entertainment Weekly
"...Nettelbeck has a particularly lovely sense of behind-the-scenes restaurant choreography..." 09/06/2002 p.60 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...Martina Gedeck offers a delightful portrayal....There are many moments of tart humor and shrewd character observation along the way..." 09/01/2002 p.39 Rolling Stone
"...Nettelbeck serves the tastiest film about food and sex since BIG NIGHT..." 10/03/2002 p.113 Hollywood Reporter
"...The German film does achieve touching moments..." 09/10/2002 p.20-42 Total Film
"Like a well-made desert: sweet without ever being sickly." 01/01/2004 p.120-1 |
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