Catherine Zeta-Jones Shines in "No Reservations"

If you didn't catch "No Reservations" with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Aaron Eckhart at the theater last year don't worry, you're in luck, because it's out on DVD and it's worth the wait. I don't know about you but I'm bored by excruciatingly beautiful women and men pretending to be Jane/John Every-person in situations they've clearly never endured nor would they be likely to. Think Meg Ryan, et al, in 2008's "The Women". Almost every female in the movie has had facial enhancement surgery. Mr. Hollywood producer, let's get real here: it's impossible to believe these are every-woman characters. These are surgically enhanced actresses...the privileged elite...portraying your average Jane here...and they're terrible at it!

Not so with Catherine Zeta-Jones and cast in "No Reservations". Oh! She's stunningly beautiful in the way we're spoon-fed what real beauty is, but she's got unexpected depth and that's what makes this movie worth viewing. She portrays her character with a subtlety and thoughtfulness that makes her well worth watching. You never think, "Come on! She's got a maid to clean up after this... She's probably off getting her nails done before the funeral." Congratulations, Ms. Zeta-Jones, on a first rate performance in what could've been a boring and cliché driven film. She's entertaining and moving...who knew? Thanks, too, to Scott Hicks for his light handed direction of the film. He must've seen something in the actress Catherine Zeta-Jones, and, gratefully, we see it, too.

Not to mention Abigail Breslin's wonderfully believable performance as the kid who loses her mom at the top of the movie. She doesn't resort to filmdom's kid pouts and heart wrenching tears on cue. No. She plays her moments for real and for simpler emotional gains. Bravo! Miss Breslin. You go girl!

And let's not forget the boy toy, Aaron Eckhart, who don's the scruffy-faced regular guy almost too well but makes for further credibility in a flick that might've been nauseatingly predictable: thanks to Carol Fuch's great script his character is unpredictable, real and should I say ordinary? Yeah! He's ordinary, quirky and interesting at the same time. Thank you Ms. Fuch!

One can't overlook the incredibly talented Patricia Clarkson, either. She could make any leading lady or gentleman look great even if she was sneezing on camera. She takes Carol Fuch's script and makes it real in every second she's looking into the camera...and the sum of all these parts make for an entertaining, emotionally moving, and thoughtful film experience, indeed.

Finally, pay attention to Philip Glass' work in the film's soundtrack. His previous works include "The Illusionist" and "The Hours" wherein he played with a decidedly heavier hand, but in "No Reservations" he underscores the emotions of the film rather deftly and lightly, even using his compatriot Mark Isham's scores from "Life As A House".

Rent "No Reservations" through Netflix today: I suggest you won't be disappointed in this endearing chick-flick with every-person overtones.