Love's Kitchen

This a treat of a movie about... well, treats, actually. A straightforward script flows lightly and easily through a lovely British country-side, with leads who are having a ball and congenial supporting actors.

Dougray Scott is perfect as a romantic leading man, his Scottish brawl adding a lot to his appeal. Claire Forlani is stunningly beautiful and warm, which is a rare combination. And Simon Callow is Simon Callow.

What more can one ask for? Some weight possibly, more drama, more poignant villains? Yes, this could be a requirement. There is not much of this here, no suspense or action or tension in this movie.

Then again: life flowing like a nice, quiet river can be lovely to watch every once in a while.

No it's not perfect, but something Love's Kitchen has that so many movies don't have these days is heart... and a superb performance on the part of Simon Callow, who alone is worth seeing the film for. I was thinking about his character for days afterward, chuckling.

When you consider all the things Love's Kitchen (formerly -- and I believe, superiorly titled No Ordinary Trifle), had working against it (namely the budget -- 'twas A LOT to accomplish for a mere $1M), naysayers should really cut first time writer/director Mr. Hacking some slack. It's a sweet little movie which epicureans in particular will find themselves salivating over on occasion. I will say it's odd to me that there wasn't more chemistry between the leads (they're married I believe), but individually I liked each of them fine (Dougray Scott more than Claire Forlani, but admittedly, I am a heterosexual female) and had no trouble swallowing that these two beautiful people might fall for each other -- though I'd have liked to have seen a bit more of that process so that it felt more organic/less contrived (which is not a unique problem in the genre).

In any case, anyone who has a soft spot for feel good romantic comedies will certainly enjoy Love's Kitchen. For my money, it's a FAR CRY above the 27 Dresses type schlock that Hollywood turns out in this arena time and time again. For that alone, I give everyone involved a lot of credit!

And lastly -- why does everyone hate on Gordon Ramsay? It's a cameo part perfect for a famous chef at the top of his game which any new director would be a fool not to seize upon!

Rob (Dougray Scott) is a London chef who is definitely haute cuisine. One of his motivations to do superior work is a bad review he got from a restaurant critic. One day, his lovely wife dies in a traffic accident leaving him a widower with a young daughter. Needing to change his life, he decides to move to the country, where a rundown old inn has housing for his family and a large pub. Not everyone is happy to have him in the neighborhood, some folks like their bucolic setting as peaceful as possible. Since the pub business begins very slowly, this isn't a great problem. Also, there is a beautiful woman named Kate (Claire Forlani) who lives with her parents nearby. This lady has been unlucky in love herself and, although she is the object of affection for a snooty gentleman resident, she shies away from attachments. Yet, Rob and Kate begin to like the looks of each other, especially when Kate's efforts to drum up business for Rob turns out well. There are a few secrets afoot, however, which may damage the future of their romance. Will it be so? This is a nice film for the ever-thirsty romance fans, like me. Scott and Forlani are fan favorites and the rest of the cast, which includes Simon Callow, are delightful as well. The sets, costumes, script, photography and surefooted direction combine to make a flick that is most enjoyable. Therefore, romance fans, get out of the kitchen, get some nice takeout and watch this in total bliss.

As I have learnt from the multitude of reality TV cooking shows which make regular appearances in the Malone household, the secret to a good dish is carefully selecting fresh ingredients and balancing the different flavors together in order for them to all work in harmony on the plate. However in Love's Kitchen they do things in a different way. Essentially chucking a bunch of old, out of date and re-heated ideas into the mixing bowl, bunging it in the oven and after 90 mins they have produced an under-cooked, half-baked idea of film, devoid of any real flavour or substance.

Love's Kitchen tells the lukewarm tale of successful chef and restaurateur Rob Haley (Dougray Scott) who looses all passion for food after the tragic death of his wife in a car accident. A scathing review of his restaurant leads to a cringe worthy intervention by Gordon Ramsey, before our Rob heads off to the countryside and buys The Boot, an old country pub which his late wife fell in love with before her untimely demise and is now frequented by an American food critic (Claire Forlani). Here Rob proceeds to try and recapture his love for food and turn around both the culinary and fiscal fortunes of The Boot. So it appears as if Love's Kitchen is essentially a 90 minute episode of Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, which just in case you were wondering, that's not a good thing.

Most rom-coms are predictable, so much so that you can sketch out the plot within the first 5 mins or so of meeting the characters. Why some work and others don't is how much the audience grows to like and invest in the two leads. I am big rom-com fan and a huge admirer of a happy ending. I don't mind it being telegraphed, but I want to enjoy the journey. I need to want the couple to be together at the end of the film. Within 5 mins of watching Love's Kitchen I wanted to take a spatula and start slapping people around the face.

Everything about the film felt forced. It felt as if they had studied what had worked in Four Weddings or Notting Hill and tried to recreate it piece by piece. Bringing together a British chap and an American lass has always worked well in the past, but this time the main leads are simply unconvincing with precious little chemistry together. They didn't seem suited to each other at all, so you just didn't care what happens to them.

The supporting cast fared little better and appeared to be the dregs of out of work British soap opera actors. Eastenders was well represented and I almost fell of my chair when Nigel from Brookside turned up. I am sure if I had looked hard enough I probably would have found an extra from Crossroads somewhere in the background. There were moments when I couldn't believe what I was watching and hearing. The script sounded like it had come from a Carry On film and some of the characters felt like a cross between caricatures of English country folk and characters from Viz (get ooorffff my land!!) . At times I felt embarrassed for the cast, but mostly I just wanted it to stop.

First time writer/director James Hacking did learn one good thing from Four Weddings though and that was Simon Callow. He is star of this film and simply delightful as a boozed up food critic, quite reminiscent of Keith Floyd. I could have happily have watched a film just about him.

Apparently when then film opened to a small select 5 screens, it only took 121 GBP in its opening weekend, making it one of the lowest UK openings of all time. You can see why.

LOVE'S KITCHEN is one of those background movies -something to put on the screen while filing, doing a puzzle, or some other task that needs little attention but an occasional distraction. Written and directed James Hacking, it is a predictable story with a predictable script and put together in a casual way that at least doesn't stir any feathers. Nor does it stir much genuine interest. It seems like a paste together story for husband/wife team of Dougray Scott and Claire Forlani.

Befuddled Rob Haley (Dougray Scott) was apparently a rising chef in London, put down by food critic Kate Templeton (Claire Forlani), and further distracted by the death of his wife. In response to the need for change he moves to the country where he finds a pub-like spot in which he decides to create a café - a truly gourmet spot in the middle of nowhere. He hires friends to help cook and wait tables. He garners interest from the townsfolk for his delicious cuisine - especially his 'perfect trifle'. His efforts do not go unnoticed - Kate Templeton visits, loves the food, and naturally falls in love with Rob... Etc Etc Etc

There is nothing wrong with this bit of British fluff: it just doesn't register on the scale. There are a few sidebars of some note and some cameos by the likes of Simon Callow. But for the most part this is background entertainment. Not bad, just background.

Grady Harp