The tantalizing genre of food films--stretching from
Babette's Feast to
Big Night and beyond--has a delicious new addition,
Tortilla Soup. The food-preparation scenes will make your mouth water. Fortunately, the rest of the movie holds up as well. Hector Elizondo plays Martin, a widowed chef who is losing both his sense of taste and control over his three daughters: Leticia (the always superb Elizabeth Peña), a religious schoolteacher; Carmen (Jacqueline Obradors), a successful but unhappy businesswoman still carrying on an affair with her ex-boyfriend; and Maribel (Tamara Mello), a rebellious teen falling in love with a young Brazilian. When a pushy, nosy, but very sexy widow named Hortensia (Raquel Welch) comes along, the troublesome subcurrents in the family start to surface. Elizondo's understated gravitas anchors the story, while the three sisters have sex, eat amazing-looking food, and break plates in the kitchen.
--Bret Fetzer
1 Wonderfully done comedy!
This is the way comedy should be done- warm, funny, heart-touching, with a little craziness thrown in.
Hector Elizondo and Raquel Welch are perfect- he's understated, she's over the top...just like the movie. The story never bogs down, but zips right along nicely. The sisters bicker, their father worries, Hortensia (Welch) does her best to snag him, and we laugh. Great fun!
A note on the rating for parents like me who wonder about the PG13 rating (one can never tell these days!): There's one woman shown in skimpy underclothing, and one sex scene along with sexual references and jokes, so this would not be suitable for kids.
2 Watch the Original
An EXACT copy of Ang Lee's wonderful "Eat Drink Man Woman". Frankly what annoyed me here was I watched this one first.. I just finished watching Eat Drink.. it took me about 15 minutes to realize I was watching an exact copy of something I'd already seen a couple years ago. Anyway, I was annoyed because while I could predict events in Eat Drink because I'd seen Tortilla Soup, Eat Drink was clearly the better movie -- so unfortunately it spoiled some of the pleasure of Eat Drink for me. If you haven't seen either, see the better of the two (exact same stories): Eat Drink Man Woman.
3 Accesible, entertaining version of "Eat Drink Man Woman"
On accident I rented "Eat Drink Man Woman" and "Tortilla Soup" almost back to back. I didn't know that "Tortilla Soup" was a remake of "Eat Drink Man Woman" but I enjoyed it a lot more. I still liked EDMW but found that TS was much more entertaining and approachable. The humor and culture were more familiar and as a result it was easier to identify with the characters. The Japanese culture in EDMW was interesting as a study in itself but prevented me from feeling involved in the movie.
The cooking sequences in both are a pleasure to watch and both make you appreciate the art of cooking. Both films join "Babbette's Feast" as landmark "cooking" movies, celebrating food's ability to bring people together and provide meaningful social interaction.
If your in the mood for a funny, romantic, uplifting film I highly recommend it.
4 Great immitation.
Tortilla Soup is a wonderful duplication of Ang Lee's classic Eat Drink Man Woman. From beginning to end, it pretty much sticks to the original, with faithful copying down to the last detail. The director shows a stroke of genius in carefully subsituting Asian characters with Latino ones.
5 Tortilla Soup - Hector Elizondo
This DVD is the greatest! It has the whole enchalada! (sp?) I sent this DVD's to my daughters, friends and family - I love it so much! Such a Wonderful, real-life movie, so down-to-earth, it is funny, sad, enjoyable, just plain wonderful!
6 A beautiful movie
Tortilla Soup is an amazing movie filled with not only hilarious scenes, but brilliant acting and real and down to earth characters. Hector Elizondo gives a brilliant performance as the father, Martin in the movie, Constance Marie is amazing as Yolanda as well as Raquel Welch as the overbearing mother of Yolanda. Their are also great supporting performances from Elizabeth Pena as the middle child Leticia, Jaqueline Obradors as the oldest Carmen, Tamara Mello as the youngest Maribel and Paul Rodriguez as a baseball coach and the object of Leticia's affection. This is a beautiful movie about family, losing the ones we love, having to deal with living a life of your own, love, heartbreak, everything that we deal with in our everyday lives. This movie made me laugh and cry and it is just another example of amazing acting by brilliant Latino and Latina actors and actresses.
7 What an absolute delight!
Anyone who labels this a "rip-off" or a "straight copy" lacks the common sense to discern the difference between plagarism and a delicious remake. "Eat Drink Man Woman" is a great film, and "Tortilla Soup" is a wonderful homage to that work. Personally, I'm so glad to see Hector Elizondo in a leading-man role; he's fabulous in this film. And there's not a single weak link in the cast. AND.. if you are at ALL a 'foodie'... you owe it to yourself to add this flick to your library. Gads, the knife technique alone is worth it. It's close-up food porn! I heartily endorse this movie.
8 Yummy!
Yes, Ang Lee's classic inspired it. So what. Sure, may be it lacks the panache of its precursor. All said and done, Tortilla Soup is still a fabulous feast of cooking, food, love, values.
Set in some Mexican part of LA, this is a movie about, of course, food. But just bubbling under the comic surface are half a dozen more sombre themes involving how food brings us together and how it changes in tune with culture, sibling rivalry, personal freedom, ambition etc etc.
Yet, the execution is thankfully sunny and quick so it never gets ho-hum. If nothing else, I bet it'll make you crave for some Mexican food. Highly recommend taking a sip of this one.
9 As irresistible as margaritas, guacamole, y salsa
A multigenerational tale of a widowed Latino father trying to hold his family of 3 fractious daughters together with the bond of carefully prepared meals. The food preparation scenes will keep you spellbound and can be appreciated on many levels: cooking lesson (really!), act of love, devotion, offering of sacrifice, parental love from a man who has a hard time saying I Love You. His daughters, a repressed Catholic, a liberated high schooler, and a 'modern woman,' just won't conform to his standards of proper Latinas. Then Raquel Welch, a nosy, in-your-face widow comes on the scene, and the fireworks begin.
But there's the food. Always the food, beginning, middle, and end.
Don't miss it.
10 Hold on
I have read a few reviews that say this movie is a ripof of Ang Lee's
"Eat Drink Man Woman" there is a good reason for that.... Ang lee helped write this movie. Watch the opening credits, you will see his name. So to those who say its a ripoff its not.
11 Straight Rip Off
As a Mexican-American woman living in the United States, I am glad to see Latins finally being represented on the big screen in a positive way. But the really depressing thing about this movie was the complete rip of of Ang Lee's (brilliant filmaker)masterpiece Eat Drink Man Woman. Come on! Can't we do better than that?
12 Is originality really so scarce in Hollywood?
I saw this movie earlier this year. It struck me as simply a Latino version of "Eat Drink Man Woman". While immitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, it's really painful to watch. The story itself is fine, but the straight copying is nauseating. Why???
13 Tasty Hors D'oeuvres But Not a Feast
The quality of the acting in this film is superior to the material. Given the number of situation comedies on television which have come and gone during the past 20 years, it has become increasingly more difficult to produce an original film which involves a single parent struggling to raise several children. Ably directed by Maria Ripoll, Tortilla Soup focuses on Martin Naranjo (Hector Elizondo), a renowned chef who is slowly losing his senses of taste and smell as well as control of the lives of three daughters: schoolteacher Letitia (Elizabeth Pena), management consultant Carmen (Jacqueline Obradors), and teenager Maribel (Tamara Mello). This is a "cute," at times endearing film and I enjoyed it. Raquel Welch's performance as Hortentia, mother of another single parent and herself on the prowl for a new husband, brings energy as well as humor to her role. I was soon intrigued by the differences between and among the three daughters. They create all manner of opportunities for plot and character developments which, alas, the screenplay fails to provide. Various loose ends are all tied up pleasantly but too neatly by the film's conclusion. My rating acknowledges both the high quality of the acting and the predictability of the plot in which various characters are involved.
14 Pleasantly entertaining family comedy!
Pleasantly entertaining family comedy! Very natural actor Hector Elizondo gives one his signature performance.
15 Great on so many levels
This is a fun movie. The story is great, looking at a typical Latin family. The music is great, and finally the food is great. Another great food movie.
16 I made me want tortilla soup!
Torilla Soup. I love this movie. It's a family movie. Here we have 3 daughters living with their father. Each daughter with a different ideal, but all share the love for each other and the love for their father. The oldest is a school teacher, the middle is a in the verge of movin' to Barcelona and the youngest is about to start college in the fall, or so her father thought. The father played by Hector Elizondo is a chef. They, like many hispanic families, revolve their lives around dinner table, because that is there time to be together. My words really cannot explain the movie. You have to watch it. I'm telling you, I love this movie!
17 Cute, Entertaining and Lovable
Raquel is fabulous - she is so funny!!
Hector is a skilled actor.
The three sisters are beautiful, lovable and each has a story that will capture and warm your heart.
Yeah, possibly this is a chick flick...but my husband has watched it five times and seems to love it even more than I do!!
18 Makes you want to watch from the kitchen.
Sometimes a movie comes along that you just fall in love with. This is such a movie for me. The food preparations caught my attention being a huge foodie. The storyline caught my heart. Touching, romantic, funny, lighthearted but satisfying fare. I have to watch it every time it comes on tv as well as owning the dvd. A real feel good movie.
19 As irresistible as margaritas, guacamole y salsa
A multigenerational tale of a widowed Latino father trying to hold his family of 3 fractious daughters together with the bond of carefully prepared meals. The food preparation scenes will keep you spellbound and can be appreciated on many levels: cooking lesson (really!), act of love, devotion, offering of sacrifice, parental love from a man who has a hard time saying I Love You. His daughters, a repressed Catholic, a liberated high schooler, and a 'modern woman,' just won't conform to his standards of proper Latinas. Then Raquel Welch, a nosy, in-your-face widow comes on the scene, and the fireworks begin.
But there's the food. Always the food, beginning, middle, and end.
Don't miss it.
20 Delicious!
This is my favorite movie. The food itself is so tantalizing with the presentation & color. The music adds to the excitement, and the characters and the actors/actresses that play them do such a good job! I can watch this movie over and over and still see new details I didn't catch before.
21 enjoyable food movie
This is the Mexican version of "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman", which was CHinese. Both are about a chef and his three daughters. For anyone who likes to cook, the cooking scenes are great fun. Both are funny and the end has a great unexpected twist.
22 You can almost smell the food cooking....
This movie, a re-do of the Chinese movie "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" is an excellent watch for people who love to cook. The cooking scenes are worth the whole movie. A friend and I watched it three times just for the food scenes. It is a bittersweet portrayal of a family....a family that in reality is like most families. Its a good family movie...a good movie for all ages. AND WOW...the FOOD!!
23 Spanish rip off of a great Tawainese film!!
This movie is almost word for word the same film as Ang Lee's 1994, "EAT, DRINK, MAN, WOMAN." In fact, the same lines, the same characters, the same layout of the house. It's the exact same movie -- well, almost except "EAT, DRINK, MAN, WOMAN" was a much better film, as well it should be as it's the original. I'm shocked Hollywood would stoop so low. The only difference is the cast is Spanish rather than Chinese. If you've seen Lee's film, you know everything that happens in "Tortilla Soup." I love all these actors and they're absolutely wonderful, but what a waste of time and talent. ...
24 don't see this on an empty stomach
Character actor Hector Elizondo heads this story about a Hispanic family of four (widowed father and his three grown daughters) and the troubles of daily life that causes them to grow apart and then ties them together in the end. Elizondo's character is a master chef worried that he has lost his touch after the death of his wife and, as such, much of the movie revolves around him cooking. The scenery is great and the visions of the food are wonderful. The movie does drag at times but is definitely watchable (if you aren't already hungry you will be before it is over.
25 The Best Movie You've Never Seen
Hector Elizondo stars as the Patriarch of a family of 3 daughters who still live under his roof, though they are all old enough to fly the coop, sometimes life at home is irrisistible. Considering that Papa is a chef, with at least one giant family meal a week where all the family is together, they may be right. However, what happens when, one by one, each of his daughters reaches a turning point in their lives? Will he suddenly have an empty nest, or are there more surprises on the horizon? To give away much more of the story will ruin much of the charm and joy that the film will provide for you. I'll simply say this, it's a good family dramedy for any viewer. You will like what you see.
26 Nuevo Latino Magnifico!
This is classy, funny, well-acted drama of a Lationo family growing. The hilarity comes from the three daughters of a prominent chef finding their own lives and announcing such major life change moments at a festive family meal together.
The acting is superb! Likely, the winner here is an outstanding, out of character part by none other than Raquel Welch. She comes across so wonderful and is just sensational is pulling off this nosey and aggressive, spoiled divorcee.
Hector is solid, as well as each of the daughters.
Enjoyed the sound track and photography was great! It was Bon Appetit all the way!
27 Good, but the original's better
Tortilla Soup is a satisfying movie, both in story line and mouth-watering food. However, I must admit that I prefer the original movie, Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman". If you don't mind subtitles and you liked Tortilla Soup, check this movie out as well.
28 blatant copy
i first saw eat drink man woman several years ago, and it remains to this day one of my favorite movies, and my favorite movie directed by ang lee. when i first heard about tortilla soup, i thought it sounded kind of like eat drink man woman, but little did i know how blatantly it was copied. i don't know whether the movie was meant as a hispanic remake, or whether the makers of the movie thought viewers wouldn't make the connection, but the film was predictable based on eat drink man woman, down to even the the eldest daughter's husband riding a motorcycle.
as another reviewer commented, this film also lacks the subtlety and quality of acting as eat drink man woman. the delicate relationship the daughters have with each other as well as with their father is the focus of both movies, but is portrayed rather tritely in tortilla soup. all in all, this movie could have been decent, but after seeing the original, it just does not compare.
29 well driven chrachter drama
Hector Elizando is great as the widowed chef, and the rest of the cast holds up well. All the charachters are likable, and you enjoy watching their day to day routine. Minor plot changes appear in the film, and it almost seems to me to be a made for tv movie. But the first rate production makes me feel otherwise. This movie is a real joy too watch.
30 Delicious
This was a delightful movie--- a family story, a food story, a comedy, and some unexpected romances. In turn funny and poignant, this was meant to entertain and it did!
It was wonderful seeing Hector Elizonda in a leading role as Martin, a former chef who has lost his senses of taste and smell. He is a wonderful actor, and the three actresses who played his daughters who still live at home did a good job too. Raquel Welsh was a bit "out there" but was not on the screen that much.
Martin prepares incredibly elaborate meals...but now just for his daughters and an occasional guest. He is old-fashioned and very proud and thinks he is still taking care of his grown daughters....except that they think they are taking care of him! Despite his efforts to control the lives of those under his roof, each of the girls has her own ideas about the future.
The food scenes are beautifully filmed and leave the viewers' mouths watering. Each meal looks more scrumptious than the last!
All in all, a feel-good movie that did a good job of entertaining.
31 Beyond feel good
I saw Tortilla Soup before I knew it was a remake of Eat Drink Man Woman. As a huge fan of Mexican and Chinese food I loved the stars which is the food. The story is charming, real, and very much worth seeing. I enjoyed both films enormously.
32 A delightful family movie
I totally agree with Karen Potts in her review here of March, 2002. I just saw this movie, as I missed it at the theaters when it came out. It was a breath of fresh air. I want to be entertained when I go to a movie, not be depressed or disturbed by what I have seen. This is a feel-good movie, light and entertaining. Hector Elizondo is great as usual, as a chef and widowed father of 3 daughters, each of them yearning to spread their wings and yet feeling tied to home and tradition. The respect and love they each have for their father is apparent, and delightful. The family dinners and conversation that takes place at the table is a focal point of the movie. I especially enjoyed the performances of Elizabeth Pe–a (eldest daughter, Leticia) and Paul Rodriguez as her love interest. They were such fun to watch. Raquel Welch's performance as well was spicy and delightful, as the sexy divorcee pursuing Elizondo, much to the dismay of his daughters. The food looked mouth watering, and in itself is worth seeing the movie for. This movie has a PG-13 rating but only because of sexual innuendos in the beginning between one of the daughters and her lover, but nothing graphic is shown, and there is no bad language. Our family including the 10-12 year olds all loved it.
33 I had already seen it
This film is the same one than the 1994's Chinese film "Eat Drink Man Woman", the only difference being that this one takes place in Mexico.
34 Tortilla Soup
This is an EXCELLENT movie : the best that I've seen in a long time . It's about a widower, who's a chef, who raised his three daughters , who are not as traditional as he is . Just watching "Martin" ( Hector Elizondo, always a great actor ) cook is good enough ( I don't know about anyone else, but I LOVE watching a man cook ! ) : I ended up wanting really good Latino food ...no Taco Bell here . This is not a Hollywood, star vehicle : in other words, it's great .
35 A Direct Copy of Director Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman."
I liked the movie, but only because its original framework created by director Ang Lee. If you want to see a better (and original) version of this movie, see "Eat Drink Man Woman" by Ang Lee.
36 A fair romantic comedy that never makes it past mediocrity
Why is it that food, any food, can look so much better on the big screen? And why is it that films where one of the major supporting roles lives in a pot or a pan can'tquite get a hold of reality? Take two recent films: Lasse Hallestrom's Chocolat and Maria Ripoll's Tortilla Soup.
While these two films vary greatly in subject matter, they have one thing in common: those scrumptious performances by delectable dishes. Each one used them to make the whole more lively, as metaphors or just to excite the audience's taste buds. Chocolat was a fantasy of sorts so it was allowed to get away with it. Tortilla Soup is a spicy yet often-stale film that at times seems more like a cooking show than a family comedy.
Carmen (Jacqueline Obradors), Leticia (Elizabeth Pena) and Maribel (Tamara Mello) are three sisters living with their father Martin Naranjo (Hector Elizondo). Tradition is stunting the sister's growth, keeping them all in while what they really want to do is move out and become their own. Hector, however, is having his own problems. He is an excellent chef, praised by his friends to be one of the best in the world, yet his taste is failing him.
Sitting on Tortilla Soup's shoulders are an angel and a devil. The angel is telling the film to go ahead and be whatever it needs to be. The angel starts off the film, giving us a cast of characters that will engage us and make us wonder just where the film is going to go. The angel also gives us some well-earned, honest laughs. Almost every little "confession" at the dinner table brings about a bittersweet chuckle.
Hector Elizondo is a perfect fatherly figure for the three girls who are only just starting to branch off into the world. It is he who keeps the film rolling, who keeps it tight keeps it on course as long as he can. However, the devil on the other shoulder is tricky.
This devil is clinging to formula. He does not want to see his precious little film escape from his clutches, so he makes sure that it will stay in la-la-land and never really get off of the ground.
All in all, Tortilla Soup is fair romantic/family content that can never overcome it's own self-importance. It entertains for a while, then bids the world adieu as it spins off into a fantasy land that the filmmakers think everybody loves. Its hot-headed screenplay got to me. Watch Tortilla Soup for some lighthearted entertainment, but watch out if you can't stand being cheated for a happy ending.
37 Charming Movie
This is an excellent film for all people to enjoy. It would be a good "date" movie or would also be good with the family. Hector Elizondo is excellent as a master chef trying to raise three daughters after losing his wife. This movie will make you laugh and remind you a lot of things that you experienced with your own family.
38 Cute
3 Mexican-American sisters, all with very different personalities who live with their father who is the head chef at a restaurant. You pretty much know what is going to happen through the movie, but it was still enjoyable. Very much a "chick-flick". The movie pretty much just made my boyfriend hungry:)
39 Delightful movie!
Hector Elizondo plays the part of a chef and father of three daughters. The daughters are all declaring their independence
in different ways and that is difficult for their all-too-traditional father. The relationship between the girls and their father is well-portrayed as a cross between love for the family and desire to lead their own lives. There are lots of scenes where delicious food is being prepared and they are a delight to the eyes of the viewer. A little spice is thrown into the mix when Racqel Welch appears as the mother of a family friend who has her eye squarely on Hector. Predictably, the daughters are not too pleased about the situation. This is a light-hearted comedy set around a close Mexican family and it makes for a most enjoyable evening.
40 Tortilla Soup
The actors in this movie were absolutely brilliant. It captured the real story of many Latin Americans. As a "latina women", I could relate to the customs seen in the movie. I was touched by the bond demonstrated between a father and his daughters.
41 OK, but could have been better
Eat Drink Man Woman is one of my favorite films and I looked forward to watching this Americanized remake of it with great anticipation. However, despite a strong cast and a lot of potential, this film simply doesn't live up to Ang Lee's excellent work. I doubt that it will have the appeal with foreign audiences that EDMW was able to garner (here in the US) by transcending the cultural framwork in which it was based.
42 Disappointing
I was very disappointed in this movie, perhaps partially but definitely not soley because I had already seen Eat Drink Man Woman. Eat Drink Man Woman is funny, subtle, charming, well-acted, well cast, and unpredictable. Tortilla Soup is none of those things. The dialogue and the acting are particularly bad here, with the exception of Hector Elizondo (and Raquel Welch is not bad in an unchallenging role). I usually don't mind Elizabeth Pena, but I thought she was horribly cast here and did an abysmal job. The actresses who played the other two sisters also leave much to be desired. The scenes where they are fighting with their current and ex-boyfriends are so bad they made me cringe. Ditto the plate-breaking scene. How sad - this could have been a great re-working of an excellent screenplay. The only redeeming quality about this movie is the food. The rest of it resembles a bad high school drama production.
43 OK for a rip-off
Go see "Eat Drink Man Woman" for a better version of the story. But it's kind of like dancing to a tacky cover-band at a wedding and enjoying it. No masterpiece, but no harm done. It made me hungry, though.
44 I'm hungry
The *only* reason why I won't give this movie 5 stars is because I've seen Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (the movie on which this one is based) - and the plot is the same. But the food. Oh the food. As I suspected, the movie made my born-in-East-LA husband a little homesick. I hope they come out with a cook book - I would love to try some of those recipes in real life. Maybe it would ease my hubby's hankerings for his family's cooking.
45 WOW! Great Movie!
I'll admit, despite my love for sexy Hispanic/Latina women, I probably would have never gone to see this if a friend hadn't asked me to go. I am so glad I did. This was a fantastic movie but be warned, if you haven't eaten before you go, you will be STARVING afterward! This story/movie had me walking away evaluating my own family situation and realizing just how short life really is...If you're even remotely interested, go see it! You won't be disappointed!
46 Middling remake of Ang Lee's "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman"
"Tortilla Soup" is a passable film, though it's exceptionally predictible, and far from original. Last year's "What's Cooking?" was a better, and even more ethnically diverse, food obsessed family drama. Some performers, especially Elizabeth Pena and Racquel Welch, do good work here, but the material is rather light. The film does manage to stand as one of the few American films that manages not to rely on violence to further its plot. I would reccomend "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" or "What's Cooking" before this film though, as those films are better and feature better food photography (this film's shot on digital video & looks somewhat washed out).
47 Bad on so many levels!
I have only walked out on a movie twice in my life, and this was one of them. The other was Taxi Driver, which, at that time in my life, was just too violent to stomach. This was just to sickening to stomach. Filled with bad acting, trite dialog, two-dimensional characters, and sometimes-amateurish cinematography and film editing. Examples: A kitchen quarrel amongst the sisters is resolved by playfully breaking dishes on the floor and the three singing and dancing over the shards arm in arm. Just too cute. A character demonstrates her zest for life by standing up in a sports car with the wind blowing in her hair and squealing, "Woo-hoo-o-o-o-o!" Just too trite. And not only did I walk out after 50 minutes, but it was my wife (a "chick-flick" aficionado) who suggested we get out of the theater before she became physically ill from this turkey grande.
48 Fabulous!
This movie was fantastic! One of the greatest families stories to date! The Hispanic community will benefit from this! This movie gives them diginity and grace beyond anything else. There is no actor that faltered in their part or character! I hope to see this in the Oscars in my book it deserves one! If you don't see this you are missing out!
49 Fabulous!
This movie was fantastic! One of the greatest families stories to date! The Hispanic community will benefit from this! This movie gives them diginity and grace beyond anything else. There is no actor that faltered in their part or character! I hope to see this in the Oscars in my book it desereves one! If you don't see this you are missing out!
50 Tortilla Soup
Entertaining and insightful but not as interesting nor revealing as Eat Drink Man Woman. The best, however, can be enjoyed if you rent the EDMW video first and then see this movie. It is absolutely intriguing to know the story and have images and story threads from EDMW and then superimpose on this story. Parts of each film are done better in their own story..But, together, the purist (only one language at at time, no changing recepies,etc)vs need for family acceptance is beautiful to watch and learn (from).
51 Wonderful
I loved it... But I don't want to repeat what all the other reviews say.. so all I will add is this... It was inspiring.. I came right home to cook up a feast. And wanted my family here to enjoy it with me... Can't wait for the Tortilla Soup cook book and the Video.. go see it for yourself.
52 Wonderful family story and GREAT food scenes
I went to see this film on a recommendation. Was I glad I went! What a wonderful cast, great story, and great cinematography especially during the food preparation scenes. I plan to acquire this film when it comes out on DVD. I want to see it a few more times. My wife and I came out of the theater dancing and mumbling some words from the famous song "Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps," or "Quizas, Quizas, Quizas" in Spanish. A feel good type of movie. Highly recommended!
53 The Way to a Man's Heart is through..............
The director, Maria Ripoll and the screenwriter, Vera Blasi had an uphill battle to say the least when they decided to adapt the incomparable Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman" to the screen with their "Tortilla Soup." Martin Naranjo (Hector Elizondo) is a master chef, though semi-retired from the restaurant he created, and living with three daughters: Leticia (Elizabeth Pena), the oldest and a high school chemistry teacher, Carmen (Jacqueline Obrados), an MBA and very successful in business and Maribel, in high school and searching for the "meaning of life" as all teenagers should be doing. This film is very much like "Soul Food" in that most of the action revolves around the dinner table with luscious-looking food designed and prepared by the "Hot Tamales" of Food TV fame. And like Ang Lee's film all the daughters and their father are searching for love, happiness and contentment.Aren't we all? There is no violence except for a few dishes that get broken. In fact nothing much happens except we are made privy to several interesting people and watch as they conduct their lives in a rich, deep and fulfilling manner. Besides Elizondo who always does a great job, the standout performance has to be Jacqueline Obrados as Carmen. Keep your eyes open in the future as I'm sure we are going to see great things from her. An interesting note: Nikolai Kinski, grandson of the famous Klaus and son of the also famous Nastassia plays Maribel's boyfriend, Andy. That's three generations of Kinski's now in the movies and Nikolai makes a good impression in a basic no frills role. Food means love, sharing and camaraderie in "Tortilla Soup," (Mexican characters) as it did in "Soul Food"(African-American characters) and "Eat Drink Man Woman" (Taiwanese characters). Maybe the United Nations should make note of this. You think?
54 Loved it and WILL watch it again!!!
The title is a little tricky because it sounds really corny and silly. But what a delightful surprise watching the movie. There was humor, seriousness, tragedy, romance and all done in a fairly clean way which is very important to our family. Raquel Welch was very funny in the movie and we're not used to seeing her in a role such as this. Mr. Elizondo was fantastic. I loved Ms. Pena's role and just thoroughly enjoyed the movie and have been recommending it to everyone! I am mexican-american and my husband is white, and we both enjoyed it equally!!
55 Simply delicious
As an Anglo, I was simply entertained. The casting was superb. The relationships developed by the screen play were believable. All five of the women in the story presented themselves with their own personna. Even the little girl who portrayed Sarah had a warmth beyond her years. I believe all audiences will enjoy this movie for what it is: a comedy based on a love story between a father and his daughters.
56 Tortilla Soup
Great movie, great acting. Hector Elizondo is better than ever and the three sisters are amazing. This is a movie to see more than one time. Beautiful story. Don't miss it.
57 Contemporary "Like Water for Chocolate"
Finally! "Tortilla Soup" is such an uplifting and lighthearted portrayal of contemporary Mexican-American life. Although it uses alot of cliche and works so hard to break negative stereotypes, this Mexican remake of another Ang Lee script is an original in its remedy to mainstream beliefs about Mexican-American culture. As in "Like Water for Chocolate" this movie puts cliche to good use by weaving America's popular, but narrow, idea that Latin food and romance are the greatest contributions to American culture. But we also get a fresh taste of the earthy Latin comedy that we so rarely see on the silver screen. Like Paul Rodriguez' comment about food "toppings". The cast gives great performances and Hector Elisondo is brilliant as the backbone of the family and the film. The actors in this film portray the abilities of Hollywood's new faces with a fresh sense of depth and Raquel Welch has reached a point in her career where she can really laugh at herself, and that's funny. "Tortilla Soup" brilliantly and sensually displays the artful process of gourmet Mexican and how food as culture, as art, as tradition, can bring people together.
58 Soul Food - Gone Neuvo Latino
This film is a good down to earth, feel good about yourself type of movie. Martin the father played by Hector Elizondo has three daughters that live at home with him. Hector once a chef that owned his own restaurant now cooks extravagant meals for his daughters and only wants them to be there for a traditional Sunday meal. The oldest daughter is Leticia played by Elizabeth Pe̱a and she is a junior high school chemistry teacher that is confined by religion until she meets Paul Rodriquez the shcool's baseball coach. The middle daughter Carmen played by Jacqueline Oradors wants to do everything for her father, but finally realizes that she needs to do what she loves to do. The youngest daughter Maribel played by Tamara Mello is a young fiesty beutiful woman that works at a record store and wants to explorer the world after meeting a brazilian named Andy played by Nikolai Kinski instead of going off to college like what her fathers wants her to do. To add some spice to the whole mixture there is Hortensia played by Raquel Welch but I do think that they dropped off the "W" in front of her name. She goes "Ga Ga" over Martin and that is when everything goes bananas. Tortilla Soup is good for this Chicano Soul. If you like Mi Familia you will enjoy this film with no violence and a lot of laughs.
