Summer Movies, Part 2: Restaurant Edition

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This is a little after the fact. Two summer movies I saw a couple of weekends ago both had food themes (in one way or another).

No Reservations - fairly predictable date film/romantic semi-comedy, though better than some reviews would have you believe. Saved by the cast: Catherine Zeta-Jone (who looks great even when not playing glamourous); Aaron Eckhart, playing a romantic lead instead of the usual sinister character part; and Abigail Breslin, last seen (by me) in Little Miss Sunshine. As with most romantic comedies, we all know how it ends -- it's all about how we get there.

Waitress - by turns bittersweet and tart, even without the off-screen tragedy of the murder of the director, Adrienne Shelly. Why is it most romantic comedies set in the South inevitably end up with someone pregnant? Also a great cast --unexpected standout is Andy Griffith as the curmudgeonly owner of the pie shop. Keri Russell was never better. Nathan Fillion is now one of my wife's favorites. The ending, though heavily Deus Ex Machina, was fun nonetheless.

On my list to see: the Simpsons Movie, Bourne Ultimatum, and (perhaps) Hairspray.

Comments

Dan Brekke said…
You know, I think Andy Griffith was always a pretty good actor; I mean good, not great. It's a longshot you'll find this one, but look for "Onionhead," a Navy comedy (with a little melodrama thrown in) from the '50s; a young-ish Walter Matthau was the costar. They're actually pretty darn good together.
11:50 PM
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