Germany's donation to the cinematic food drive seems unlikely to have received distribution without its appeal to the salivaries. And indeed, despite the pasty complexion of the film, the visual appeal of the dishes can match any screen menu outside of maybe Babette's Feast. Yet it has more to offer than just that. Written and directed by Sandra Nettelbeck, it is an easy-flowing comedy concerning a master chef who's a control freak in all areas except her temper whenever her cooking is questioned. She already has a full plate when her sister is killed in an accident and she inherits an eight-year-old niece. Plus her culinary second-in-command is eight-months pregnant. So her boss, without consultation, takes the proactive measure of hiring a new helper, a talented Italian who brings into the kitchen, along with gnocchi, etc., a breezy new attitude and a boom box of paisano pop: Dean Martin, Louis Prima. The clash of Teutonic severity and Mediterranean serenity throws off some predictable sparks, and Sergio Castellitto is very touching as the drowsy-eyed, hunched-shouldered Italian with a casual knack for life. Martina Gedeck, under a permanently arched eyebrow, is aided in seeming a real person by being an unfamiliar face, though she could never have gotten away with it if she were not also an actress of skill and subtlety. The aforesaid easy flow quickens into burbling rapids during the closing credits, sweeping you through the happy ending. (2001) — Duncan Shepherd
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