claritadeb73's reviews

Netflix. I guess it shouldn't surprise me you're still spending money on this stuff in 2025. The feel-good attempt just feels disjointed and dirty. I.e. The original owner of this restaurant is a millionaire and dubiously the financial arrangement with the women who create the dishes is not transparent.

The US seems stuck in a time warp when it comes to depicting Italian culture and patriarchy. They're still showing archetypal roles in the home, the kitchen and business. It's tired, it's boring and didn't inspire me at all. Actually, scrub that, it inspired me to write my first review in a while!

There were some cute attempts to articulate grief and how it can change your life. And as art imitates life, it's the amazing women in the cast that carry the performances. Which is why I could stomach it until the end.

Of its time. And best kept in the past. Think of every creepy boundary crossing relationship tactics that women were supposed to endure, professional sexism and toxic parenting and you'll find it in this film. The Hollywood movie types in 1991 possibly gave themselves a pat on the back trying to represent how women are treated in business and management. But they only replace it with a bunch of other toxic stuff. Straight out of the male manipulation playbook! I only suffered through it to write this review. That and Jacqueline Bisset is just lush to watch on the screen, no matter how bad the film is.

It's disjointed and rushed in places but still has the Star Wars elements fans love to see. It's inoffensive and respectable but not going to ever make us feel the way we did with Empire or even when this reboot was announced. It's well worth a cinema ticket though. There's enough twists and turns to keep you going with the story. But overall a missed opportunity.

This is one of those movies perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon. There's no point watching it if you don't like romantic drama, it won't be for you. The story pootles along with charming scenes to do with self-discovery and relationships. I wasn't completely convinced of all the characters' motivation, it was a bit *Hollywood* with the artistic license. It is far fetched but that is for comic effect I should image. It's not laugh out loud funny, just absurd and farcical. The performances are solid, I think they save the shaky storyline somewhat. Ben Affleck is good in these thoughtful roles, don't agree with other reviewers on this. He's much less corny than most of his contemporaries in these kind of films. Cleese stole his scenes, pure class and not overly wacky. I did enjoy the soundtrack, it wasn't the usual upbeat pop-rock rubbish that 'quirky' romcoms are stuffed with these days. You won't waste an afternoon watching this with a cuppa while nursing a hangover.