Tortilla Soup

"Tortilla Soup" is certainly worth watching, even if you have already seen "Eat Drink Man Woman," but I would have enjoyed it much more if I hadn't seen the original version. I kept making comparisons throughout the whole movie. Ang Lee's characters just seemed more genuine, the food more mouthwatering, & the story more believable. I wonder if I'd feel the same if I had seen "Tortilla Soup" first...

Tortilla soup is all about family and food (dinner) and how each really draws inspiration from the other. The food is the hub from which the drama, and the laughs, turn.

Three daughters, each at different phases of their lives, are torn between their home lives ruled by their stern but loving father and the outside world. Dad, a chef, spoils them with some of the best nuevo spanish cuisine any latina daughter could ever possibly hope for, and has instilled in each an appreciation of food, and life. Dad is single, realizes he is about to lose the core of his family one by one and food is all he has, or so he thinks. Just when you think he'll be alone to cook for himself, surprises come in spades. And, as always, it's the food that draws them all back.

Anytime I see DIFFERENT... I am REALLY pleased! BUT... BEFORE diving in....

FIRST... Let us FOCUS on the Title´s content and context:

When Maribel (Tamara Mello) learns her Brazilian boyfriend Andy (Nikolai Kinski) speaks 5 languages. She's duly impressed. She zings a question: "What do you call a person who speaks several languages?" He quickly responds: "A polyglot?"..."OK," She continues, "and a person who speaks 2 languages?"..."Ahhh, BEE-lingual?" He says, flubbing the pronunciation. Her final question: "And what about a person who speaks only ONE Language?" "Ahhhhh" He pauses....prompting her to answer her own rhetorical question/cultural joke: "...An AMERICAN!!!"

In a way, this joke almost sums up the movie. Those of you who are fluent in 2 or more languages, will probably get it! Many of you who are MONO-lingual might shrug your shoulders, smirk, and simply say..."Yeah.... So WHAT?!?"

For years, I have put off seeing SOUP because it was a remake of EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN. Big mistake, that! Now just because I've rated this 9********* (vs.8.5* for EAT DRINK) doesn't mean I expect most of you to rate it 8* or higher!

Look, SOUP takes place in L. A., where I grew up. Also, all my life I've been exposed to bilingual/bicultural Hispanic families from many different countries! (My MOM-May she R. I. P. Was Colombian! Certainly, SOUP is far from perfect, but I loved it!

WHY? First, I thought Raquel Welch (Birth name: Jo Raquel Tejada, of Bolivian/Irish parents) was absolutely hilarious. What a talented comedienne...What uncanny timing and delivery! Such a tragedy she wasn't offered more juicy roles, like this one.

She was 60 years old when this was made! WOW! BTW-Interesting Wikipedia fact: Welch was the last star in HOLLYWOOD created under the star system!

TRULY Well integrated cast (no pun intended) delivering a delightful ensemble performance. Hector Elizondo's Spanish, oddly enough, was slightly off and belied the fact that his character was an immigrant, but his nuanced performance made that easy to overlook. WARNING: Don't watch this movie with an appetite! It would be torture...

ENJOY! / DISFRUTELA!

Any Comments, Questions or Observations... in ENGLISH o en ESPAÑOL.. Are most WELCOME!

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. We had wanted to see this when it first came to video/DVD but didn't get to it. Frankly, I then forgot about it. Last week, I was reminded of the movie and went out and rented it.

I have not seen the Ang Lee movie, "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" so can not comment on how it compares. But we really liked "Tortilla Soup" The performance by the cast of Elizondo, Pena, Obradors and unknown (to me) Mello; was very good. Raquel Welch was a bit over the top, but all in good fun. The interaction between the father (Elizondo) and daughters was believable and you could sense the love he had for them under his stern exterior (and you knew his daughters knew it too).

As others have mentioned, the food preparation and serving scenes were colorful and very beautiful. Shows there is a lot more to Mexican cuisine than what you run into at most restaurants.

This movie will make you smile, like enjoying a good meal. 8 out of 10

Better than the ordinary Hollywood movie, this family comedy does a very nice job of presenting a variety of characters in the throes of pursuing their own version of the American Dream. That the family is Mexican-American adds a welcome difference. The camera loves the food being prepared, the Latin-flavored music score enlivens the proceedings, and the acting is quite serviceable. Jacqueline Obrador and Elizabeth Pena shine as the older daughters in the family, the always-reliable Hector Elizondo is fine in a rare leading role. Of greatest interest, however, may be Raquel Welch, playing her age and her ethnicity for the first time in my memory. It is her role, not her performance, that mars the movie. She is a caricature of an older-middle-aged unattached woman, the butt of unkind jokes. And it is the unwitting bias toward the older woman character that undermines the otherwise upbeat, happy ending intended. Still, this one's worth the cost of a rental. Not great art but at least it doesn't insult the viewers' intelligence.