Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sean Patrick Flanery, Patricia Clarkson, Dylan Baker, Betty Buckley, Larry Gillard Jr.
Director: Mark Tarlov
Producers: John Fiedler, Jon Amiel, and Joe Caracciolo Jr.
Screenplay: Judith Roberts
Cinematography: Robert Stevens
Music: Gil Goldstein
U.S. Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
While watching Simply Irresistible, the only viewers who will not recall Alfonso Arau's Like Water for Chocolate are those who haven't seen the 1993 art house hit. Simply Irresistible doesn't just take an ingredient or two from the earlier film (which was based on a book by Laura Esquivel), it borrows more than half the recipe, then tries, with only limited success, to merge it with a more conventional boy-meets-girl story. The result is sometimes enchanting, but, more often than not, it's frustrating, because the disparate elements of the plot never quite gel.
Part of the problem is that first-time director Mark Tarlov and screenwriter Judith Roberts try to cram too much into a 95-minute motion picture. Character development is perfunctory, often being shunted aside in favor of exposition, plot complications, or lame attempts at comedy (Simply Irresistible offers a few smiles, but not many laughs). The film makers seem to be relying exclusively on the charisma of triple monikered stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sean Patrick Flanery. However, while Gellar, the bubbly star of TV's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", has a certain appeal, Flanery is flat, and the chemistry between them sputters when it should simmer. Consequently, Simply Irresistible isn't romantic enough.
Amanda (Gellar) is a young chef with a serious confidence problem. Ever since the death of her mother, a wizard in the kitchen, Amanda has had to wear the cook's hat at The Southern Cross, a New York City restaurant she co-owns with her aunt, Stella (Betty Buckley). Amanda can't cook, and her limited culinary skills have caused the establishment's clientele to shrink to three regulars. Then, one day while at the market shopping for food, she runs into a guardian angel (Christopher Durang), who sells her a magical crab. With this special crustacean presiding over her kitchen activities, Amanda begins to whip up amazing dishes that not only tickle the palate, but enhance the emotions as well. Everyone who ingests one of Amanda's meals finds their inhibitions lifted.
Amanda's new-found genius in the kitchen allows her to attract the attention of Tom (Flanery), the manager of an upscale, soon-to-open restaurant within an exclusive department store. Tom falls head-over-heels for Amanda, and she does the same for him, but he's scared off by her apparent magical powers, even going so far as to call her a witch. Ultimately, it's up to Amanda to cook up a concoction that will allow her and her prince charming to live happily ever after. And, as if that isn't enough to occupy the audience's attention, Simply Irresistible gives us a subplot about how Amanda's food allows one of Tom's co-workers, Lois (a delightful Patricia Clarkson, no longer encumbered by her High Art accent), to get her man, who happens to be Tom's boss, Jonathan (played by Dylan Baker, the pedophile in Happiness). Actually, these two supporting characters are more interesting than the film's principals.
When a movie focuses on the sensual aspects of food, it needs to bring the meals to life. Films like Babette's Feast, Like Water for Chocolate, and Big Night succeed in this department; Simply Irresistible doesn't. The meals look nice, but there's no texture to them. I didn't leave the theater eager to stop at the nearest bakery to grab an eclair. Consequently, the magic worked by Amanda's unnatural culinary skills may affect the characters, but it doesn't reach beyond the screen. This is somewhat disappointing, since the movie's potential for titillating the senses seems to be much greater than what it accomplishes.
The dialogue contains its share of wry moments and sly remarks. A sous chef at Amanda's restaurant (played with panache by Larry Gillard Jr.) advises her that, whenever a man is adjusting his belt or putting his hands in his pockets, he's thinking about sex (I'm not sure that's an accurate observation, but it's at least an interesting theory). On another occasion, when she thinks she's losing Tom, the same sous chef (who's a font of wisdom) comments that she needs to convince her would-be boyfriend that being in love is better than falling in love.
Despite its flaws, Simply Irresistible still manages to exude a certain imperfect charm. Romantics will enjoy it because it offers a familiar situation with a slightly unconventional twist. And, although Tarlov's direction is sometimes off (the timing and tone are all wrong during the opening sequences), he nevertheless manages to craft a memorable scene or two (such as the dance sequences, which are nicely choreographed). The title, however, is an example of wishful thinking. This movie may be marginally entertaining, but it's definitely not simply irresistible.
© 1999 James Berardinelli