'No Reservations' (PG)(out of four)

Food has always been a great co-star in a movie. Some of the best pairings of film and food are "Chocolat" (2000) and most recently, "Ratatouille." Now we have "No Reservations," a Hollywood adaptation of the German film "Mostly Martha."

The usually stuffy Catherine Zeta Jones is a delight as Kate Armstrong, an uptight top chef at a tony Greenwich Village restaurant. The opening scene, where Kate is running her kitchen with an iron fist and won't tolerate customers' complaints about her dishes, may lead you to believe you're in for a light comedy about the trials and tribulations of a single working girl in New York City, but not too long after, the ax drops and the tone turns serious.

When her sister is killed in a car crash, she (predictably) becomes guardian of her niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin). In Kate's ordered world there's no room for a 9-year-old, especially one that won't eat duck for dinner. When Kate begins to become unraveled, the owner of the restaurant, Paula, (deliciously played by the always engaging Patricia Clarkson) insists the workaholic chef takes time off. But Kate can't stay away for any length of time and walks in unannounced to a kitchen being run by a sous chef who wears Crocs and has the staff preparing to strains of Pavarotti. A tousled Aaron Eckhart as Nick plays devil-may-care to Kate's perfect-as-an-angel persona.

Of course, there's no secret as to what happens next. Nick is able to break through to Zoe with a big bowl of spaghetti and win over Kate. As sticky and gooey as a cinnamon bun, Zoe brings the two together for a pizza picnic under a safari tent in the middle of Kate's living room, where a game of pickup sticks is played with breadsticks.

There are plenty of opportunities for the screenwriters to use food analogies, sometimes to the point of excess. One incredibly cheesy moment is Kate's conversation with her therapist in which she says: "I wish there was a cookbook for life." Her therapist responds by saying, "Kate, you know better than anyone, it's the recipes you create yourself that are the best."

If you can get past some of the schlock, "No Reservations" is as relaxing as a Sunday brunch, but not as filling. There are some great performances and some good chemistry between characters in the movie, especially the bond that's formed between Kate and Zoe. The attention to detail of the food displays and the photography of the food in the film is stunning and worth the price of admission.

If you're looking for depth, see "Mostly Martha," but for some light fare in a summer filled with action and animation, "No Reservations" is a great little dish.