Amour, délice et petits plats

The plot is pretty thin, but a cute cast makes this film worth watching. It's about a talented young cook who becomes a TV cooking idol. The action is slow in this standard rags-to-riches and finding one's self plot, but it is an amusing, sweet story.

Felix Adlon, the son of Percy and Eleonor Adlon, has learned his craft right at home, or so it seems. Mr. Adlon is a new voice in the American cinema and one wishes him a good and long career. With "Eat Your Heart Out", his screen directorial debut, he shows he has the ability to capture what's going on around him. The result is a movie that is charming and light. The screen play is by the director and Laura Slakey.

The situation is a variation on the "Friends" theme, or so it seems. We are shown three friends sharing a loft in L.A. to make ends meet. Daniel, a cook instructor, Peter, a butcher, and Samantha, an artist, seem to have no conflicts in their living arrangement. It appears that Sam has a crush on Daniel.

This arrangement is complicated when Daniel is picked for a television cooking show. When Daniel becomes a minor celebrity, he goes away and seem to forget his friends. He only realizes what he lost when Sam calls him to go to see his dying father, who has quarreled with the young man. After the old man dies, he comes to the realization that Sam loved him and was a loyal friend.

Mr. Adlon assembled a good looking young cast who do good work under his guidance. Christian Oliver, Pamela Segall, John Craig, play the original friends in the loft. Laura San Giacomo is seen as the ambitious agent that wants the young cook for herself. Linda Hunt is the television executive that makes things happen for young Daniel.

The film will delight anyone looking for a relaxed time thanks to Mr. Adlon.

This movie is better than you read from the reviews. The acting is very real, very heartwarming. I agree that it is another romance comedy, one of the many. But it is really a feel good movie with some real issues. What makes this movie so special? Simple, the emphasize on real friendship, real friends that are there for you whenever you (tend to) go down. They are there for you. And if love and friendship are mixed, you are the luckiest in the world and need to cherish it. I love this movie, simple.

Okay, so after five minutes you know how this movie is going to end. The cliches pile on one after the other. Dumb dialog is probably more common than it should be. And some of the acting is pretty weak. But none of that matters !! This is a variation of the boy-meets-girl flick that we've all seen a thousand times but can't help enjoying anyway. It even has a great song in it. And so what if the father's accent doesn't match the son's ? When this pops up on cable some late night, and you sit down to watch, you won't regret it.

What can happen in a teen flick where there are roommates from both genders? Romance, of course! Well, don't bother about the ending because you know it even before you start the movie. However, it's still worth watching because there are some sweet moments inside. The plot is very simple: the guy became famous and neglected the girl, things happened one after another, they got back together, blah, blah, blah. Still it's good to watch this one together with your special someone.