Movie Notes: Mostly Martha

November 7th, 2009

Mostly Martha

= 4 stars

Starring Martina Gedeck, Sergio Castellitto, Maxime Foerste
Directed by Sandra Nettelbeck

Synopsis

Workaholic chef Martha Klein (Martina Gedeck) is obsessed with food at the expense of everything else, until her sister dies tragically, leaving her daughter in Martha’s care. Then her kitchen is invaded by the optimistic sous-chef Mario (Gergio Castellitto).

The Good

Gedeck is insular, quiet, and aloof; believable as the anti-social, private chef whose life revolves around the kitchen. Mario’s contrastingly, sunnier personality makes his increasing presence in Martha’s life feel logical and natural – she needs someone like him for balance.
This movie was the basis for the disappointing No Reservations. Here, the romance clearly takes a back seat to the tragic situation of Martha’s niece, while the remake had it the other way ’round.

The Bad

Pacing is a bit slow, and it was initially hard to get the remake’s taste out of my mouth.

Conclusion

Great movie, with another layer of interest if you’ve seen that artificially-flavored remake – see how a perfectly fine film can be messed up by the quest for mainstream appeal. Recommended.

IMDB: Mostly Martha
Wikipedia: Mostly Martha
Rotten Tomatoes: Mostly Martha 91%