Recipe for Disaster

Home Alone crossed with Spy Kids but set at a brand new gourmet restaurant. My grandchildren and I enjoyed it immensely on a rainy Saturday afternoon. As a former chef I much appreciated the antics of the kids as they tried to make up for their missing parents at the restaurant's opening, meanwhile fending off the evil doings of a rival restaurant, while dealing with fussy customers and imperious restaurant critics. John Larroqutte does his usual masterful job as does Leslie Ann Warren, as his wife. The kids are marvelous, going from sibling hatred to grudging respect as they are forced to team up to try to save the day for the family. William Propp's script offers more comic twists than a pushcart pretzel.

this was a cute movie, and it wasn't bad. i think it is for more of a younger child crowd (as i am 16) but it was still not bad. my sister is actually friends with devon werkheiser who plays the younger boy Max, and i always hear about how hard he works to get roles like this. that's actually the only reason i watched the movie, because devon was in it and i wanted 2 know who this kid my sister kept talkin about was! lol. but it was pretty good and really cute, especially for young children.

Possibly the worst comedy that I have ever seen. I cannot even think of an age group that might enjoy this cliché-ridden garbage. I made the huge mistake of buying the DVD and I wanted to enjoy it. In the event, I never smiled once whilst watching it.

If you collect all the hackneyed old scenes from every comedy film that you can think of and string them loosely together, you do not have a comedy. If you then get all of the adults to act like idiots and make the children be irritating, you still don't have a comedy. Comedy is all about comic timing. Don't expect any of that here!

It pains me that in this day and age, with all the wonderful comedy of recent years, these particular film-makers appear to have learnt nothing whatsoever! Truly dire! Recipe For Disaster? It certainly is!

Small kids will love this movie for its simply storyline and slapstick silliness, but it's entertaining enough that parents should enjoy watching it too. The headflip into a bucket by the villian that another reviewer mentioned is pretty incredible to see. A restaurant critic who has a number of scenes in various disguises is also quite entertaining. It's refreshing to see a simple predictable film that's well performed once in a while. This film exemplifies just how a "G" rating and an obviously low budget can still entertaining for everyone.

(One warning, though . . . you may have to caution your kids about playing around in the kitchen or in the electrical fuse box after they watch this movie.) :o)

This movie does not break any new ground -- but it does offer some great characters and some unbounded silliness. The writing is clever, the camera work is skilled, but the performances from the ensemble are what make the movie work. John Laroquette shines as always, the kids are adorable, and Bill Dawes as the archvillian across the street does some physical comedy on par with Jim Carrey. In particular, check out the single camera shot of him flipping headfirst into a bucket.