Greetings again from the darkness. Nothing (well very few things) irritates me more than a marketing campaign that misrepresents the movie. The trailer I saw 2 months ago, led me to believe that this was a comedy, in fact, almost a slapstick comedy. PLEASE don't go to this movie expecting a comedy. There are a few laughs, but mostly just a few smiles and chuckles. This wonderful film offers so much other than comedy. Veteran German actress Martina Gedeck is just outstanding as Martha - a beautiful woman comfortable only while cooking ... and then just barely. Most of the movie deals with Martha's struggle at being a mom to her 8 year old niece AND having to share her kitchen with a talented "Italian" chef. Watching these 3 grow is painful, yet fulfilling. Watch for the changes in Martha's approach to food and life as Mario shows her the warmth and emotions of both. This is a coming of age film for an older woman. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" had been my favorite little movie of the year. Now it is not so little, and "Mostly Martha" may be every bit as good. Just don't expect a laugh out loud comedy.
89 Reviews
Mostly Martha but all good.
=G=22 February 2003
"Mostly Martha" is a thoroughly delightful tale of a comely, self contained, socially unassured, and occasionally gauche German master chef, Martha (Gedeck), in need of a recipe for living who finds love through tragedy and romance through cooking. In thinking about these comments I concluded that there is nothing I would change about this film except the language (I don't speak German). A perfect little gem, "Mostly Martha" is the kind of flick which makes you feel sorry for those who won't watch foreign films because of subtitles and wonder why audiences dine voraciously on cinematic junk food when such palate pleasers as this are not only delicious but nutritious. (A-)
Thoughtful, moving, rewarding
zwirnm9 November 2002
A few rhetorical questions:
a. Why are there no great English-language food/romance movies? Whenever you see a movie that truly ravishes you with food preparation and recipes as part of the atmosphere of the movie, it comes from France or Mexico or Hong Kong - or, if it is in English, it's borrowed culturally from another country (e.g. Chocolat, or the Mexican-American adaptation of Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman). I think it's because the English speaking societies of the world have a relatively unsophisticated approach to food preparation and dining, manifest in our great contributions to world culinary arts - fast food and industrial agriculture, plus cooking technologies that take art out of the equation. You can't have a sexy drama set amidst a world of force-fed veal or microwave dinners.
b. Why do we never talk about German comedy? The Germans do have a comedic tradition, but the movies that are released in the US tend to be solemn dramas, violent or shocking action pieces or grim experimental works. On the rare instances that I see a German comedy, I'm always pleasantly surprised, and I have the feeling I'm missing out.
c. Why are European movies so much better than American films at showing sexiness and desirability in 30- or 40-something year-old women? I have a pet theory, that European sensibilities about marriage and commitment are sufficiently different from American norms that there is the expectation that a 35-year old woman may yet be actively and happily single, or perhaps a single mom who isn't stigmatized to feel that she had best find some sucker to marry her and get out of the dating pool.
d. Why isn't jazz used in American soundtracks anymore? In this film set in Germany, the score is assembled by Manfred Eicher (founder of ECM, the acclaimed modern-jazz label), and it's all good. Some nice German lieder, classic vocal jazz, and instrumental pieces by Keith Jarrett and others. We Americans appear to have forgotten jazz as soundtrack music.
In any case, Mostly Martha is a fine little movie set in contemporary Köln, starring Martina Gedeck as the title character. Martha is a neurotic, workaholic chef at a high-end restaurant, whose control freak tendencies keep her at a distance from everyone. When her boss insists that she go to therapy, she replies by preparing recipes for the hapless shrink. Both lonely and a loner (a tricky combination), she throws herself into her work to the point of exhaustion.
Martha's single-minded life is thrown upside down when she suddenly becomes the guardian to her niece Lina (Maxime Foerste). As she struggles to take on this new role, the arrival of a competitor in the form of a brash Italian chef (Sergio Castellitto) threatens her supremacy in the kitchen.
Any viewer of romantic comedies knows where this is going, but I have no complaints about the plot line. The performances were all good; the dialogue is thoughtful; the food looks delicious. It's not a great movie, but it's a good one and would be an admirable effort by any studio.
a. Why are there no great English-language food/romance movies? Whenever you see a movie that truly ravishes you with food preparation and recipes as part of the atmosphere of the movie, it comes from France or Mexico or Hong Kong - or, if it is in English, it's borrowed culturally from another country (e.g. Chocolat, or the Mexican-American adaptation of Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman). I think it's because the English speaking societies of the world have a relatively unsophisticated approach to food preparation and dining, manifest in our great contributions to world culinary arts - fast food and industrial agriculture, plus cooking technologies that take art out of the equation. You can't have a sexy drama set amidst a world of force-fed veal or microwave dinners.
b. Why do we never talk about German comedy? The Germans do have a comedic tradition, but the movies that are released in the US tend to be solemn dramas, violent or shocking action pieces or grim experimental works. On the rare instances that I see a German comedy, I'm always pleasantly surprised, and I have the feeling I'm missing out.
c. Why are European movies so much better than American films at showing sexiness and desirability in 30- or 40-something year-old women? I have a pet theory, that European sensibilities about marriage and commitment are sufficiently different from American norms that there is the expectation that a 35-year old woman may yet be actively and happily single, or perhaps a single mom who isn't stigmatized to feel that she had best find some sucker to marry her and get out of the dating pool.
d. Why isn't jazz used in American soundtracks anymore? In this film set in Germany, the score is assembled by Manfred Eicher (founder of ECM, the acclaimed modern-jazz label), and it's all good. Some nice German lieder, classic vocal jazz, and instrumental pieces by Keith Jarrett and others. We Americans appear to have forgotten jazz as soundtrack music.
In any case, Mostly Martha is a fine little movie set in contemporary Köln, starring Martina Gedeck as the title character. Martha is a neurotic, workaholic chef at a high-end restaurant, whose control freak tendencies keep her at a distance from everyone. When her boss insists that she go to therapy, she replies by preparing recipes for the hapless shrink. Both lonely and a loner (a tricky combination), she throws herself into her work to the point of exhaustion.
Martha's single-minded life is thrown upside down when she suddenly becomes the guardian to her niece Lina (Maxime Foerste). As she struggles to take on this new role, the arrival of a competitor in the form of a brash Italian chef (Sergio Castellitto) threatens her supremacy in the kitchen.
Any viewer of romantic comedies knows where this is going, but I have no complaints about the plot line. The performances were all good; the dialogue is thoughtful; the food looks delicious. It's not a great movie, but it's a good one and would be an admirable effort by any studio.
Assured, intelligent, charming
Spleen21 January 2003
A strange thing about the food: some of it, like the bird-cooked-in-pig's-bladder which Martha describes in loving detail in order to have something to talk about while she's with her therapist, sounds good, and perhaps even looks good, without being in the least bit appetising. You'd have to be mad to actually eat anything that's been cooked in a pig's bladder. But Martha is probably right aesthetically, if not in any other way: if she says the best way to cook the bird is in a pig's bladder, then you'd better believe it.
Martha is a superb creation. She's a good chef. (She may be the best chef of any film ever made.) When her boss sends her to a therapist, she talks about food and cooking, which interest her, rather than about herself, which doesn't interest her. She goes to therapy because her boss orders her to, and when her therapist (who's no fool either) asks her why she thinks her boss orders her to, she says, as though considering the question for the first time, that she doesn't know and she clearly doesn't care, either.
When various people (her orphaned niece, an Italian cook) come along to disrupt her life, we're on her side in wanting her to retain control; and although these likable people DO successfully disrupt her life, she does successfully retain control; so everyone wins. And it's hard not to admire someone who can not only insult the philistines who eat at the restaurant where she works but who know how to do so properly. These people don't know how good they have it. I'd rather be insulted by her than flattered by some spineless flunky.
The script, word for word, and moment for moment, is as perfectly judged as one of Martha's dishes. The IMDb user who says of Lina: "She didn't cry when her mother died, but she was really upset when Martha forgot to pick her up. It wasn't her fault, it was the script's" merely shows how much his sensibilities have been coarsened by Hollywood cliché. In fact, the film shows genuine insight into the way people naturally react, not the way lazy screenwriters would like to train them to react. Lina reacts to her mother's death not with the usual screen histrionics but by not eating. Tears are reserved (as they are in life) for less important misfortunes.
This is an assured, intelligent, charming film. Even the use of music shows an unerring touch. I'm eager to see what Sandra Nettelbeck does next.
Martha is a superb creation. She's a good chef. (She may be the best chef of any film ever made.) When her boss sends her to a therapist, she talks about food and cooking, which interest her, rather than about herself, which doesn't interest her. She goes to therapy because her boss orders her to, and when her therapist (who's no fool either) asks her why she thinks her boss orders her to, she says, as though considering the question for the first time, that she doesn't know and she clearly doesn't care, either.
When various people (her orphaned niece, an Italian cook) come along to disrupt her life, we're on her side in wanting her to retain control; and although these likable people DO successfully disrupt her life, she does successfully retain control; so everyone wins. And it's hard not to admire someone who can not only insult the philistines who eat at the restaurant where she works but who know how to do so properly. These people don't know how good they have it. I'd rather be insulted by her than flattered by some spineless flunky.
The script, word for word, and moment for moment, is as perfectly judged as one of Martha's dishes. The IMDb user who says of Lina: "She didn't cry when her mother died, but she was really upset when Martha forgot to pick her up. It wasn't her fault, it was the script's" merely shows how much his sensibilities have been coarsened by Hollywood cliché. In fact, the film shows genuine insight into the way people naturally react, not the way lazy screenwriters would like to train them to react. Lina reacts to her mother's death not with the usual screen histrionics but by not eating. Tears are reserved (as they are in life) for less important misfortunes.
This is an assured, intelligent, charming film. Even the use of music shows an unerring touch. I'm eager to see what Sandra Nettelbeck does next.
The Charms Outweigh the Clichés
noralee12 December 2005
The charms outweigh the clichés in "Mostly Martha (Bella Martha)." Of course it's right away different in that the phrase "German romantic comedy" isn't common and can be applied here.
I loved that "Martha" herself is a competent, self-possessed professional and that's what attracts the guy to her. While we first meet her in therapy, her problems are those of work and personal life I could certainly relate to.
While this will remind others of food prep movies like "Wedding Banquet," "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman," and "Tortilla Soup" or restaurant movies like "Dinner Rush" and "Big Night," (which all had male chefs), or "Babette's Feast," I have zero interest in cooking so cared only that "Martha" is very good at her job and at managing the restaurant kitchen.
The restaurant characters seem like real co-workers, and amazingly the niece is not some adorable child actor but seems like a real kid whose surliness is legit.
The Italian sous chef who comes on board brings the sensuality of the Mediterranean --in music (with a generous use of Paolo Conte songs), movement and language much like in the Danish "Italian for Beginners."
And of course in romance, which is still delightful even as the clichés start appearing, her happiness is indicated by her loosened hair like Jane Fonda's in "Electric Horseman."
But I enjoyed the build-up to their relationship in ever longer, longing glances and their mutual professional respect and concluding compromises.
(originally written 9/2/2002)
I loved that "Martha" herself is a competent, self-possessed professional and that's what attracts the guy to her. While we first meet her in therapy, her problems are those of work and personal life I could certainly relate to.
While this will remind others of food prep movies like "Wedding Banquet," "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman," and "Tortilla Soup" or restaurant movies like "Dinner Rush" and "Big Night," (which all had male chefs), or "Babette's Feast," I have zero interest in cooking so cared only that "Martha" is very good at her job and at managing the restaurant kitchen.
The restaurant characters seem like real co-workers, and amazingly the niece is not some adorable child actor but seems like a real kid whose surliness is legit.
The Italian sous chef who comes on board brings the sensuality of the Mediterranean --in music (with a generous use of Paolo Conte songs), movement and language much like in the Danish "Italian for Beginners."
And of course in romance, which is still delightful even as the clichés start appearing, her happiness is indicated by her loosened hair like Jane Fonda's in "Electric Horseman."
But I enjoyed the build-up to their relationship in ever longer, longing glances and their mutual professional respect and concluding compromises.
(originally written 9/2/2002)
Wiener Schnitzel Italian style...
jotix10014 October 2002
This German film is one of the happiest surprises of the year. Not only is it a well paced, acted, and directed, but it involves the viewer like no other film in recent memory. Director/writer Sandra Nettelbeck deserves praise for bringing this joyous piece to the screen.
Martina Gedleck, as Martha, is perfect as the control freak of the upscale restaurant. Obviously, she can cook, judging by the full houses and the good vibes she generates among the diners. What she has in smarts, she lacks in social graces. Obviously, she doesn't have a life.
Her world is shattered by the arrival of a niece that comes to her under tragic circumstances, and from Mario, the new Italian cook. One can see the new man in her kitchen is too much of a free spirit, who ultimately will be her downfall.
Mario, very nicely played by Sergio Castelletto, is the opposite of his German colleague. It doesn't take long for him to charm the daylights out of Martha. Sparks fly whenever they are on screen together. Both principals have the right chemistry and that's why this film works so well. It will surely disarm anyone in the right state of mind. The only thing is that one must leave the theatre craving for a great meal.
Martina Gedleck, as Martha, is perfect as the control freak of the upscale restaurant. Obviously, she can cook, judging by the full houses and the good vibes she generates among the diners. What she has in smarts, she lacks in social graces. Obviously, she doesn't have a life.
Her world is shattered by the arrival of a niece that comes to her under tragic circumstances, and from Mario, the new Italian cook. One can see the new man in her kitchen is too much of a free spirit, who ultimately will be her downfall.
Mario, very nicely played by Sergio Castelletto, is the opposite of his German colleague. It doesn't take long for him to charm the daylights out of Martha. Sparks fly whenever they are on screen together. Both principals have the right chemistry and that's why this film works so well. It will surely disarm anyone in the right state of mind. The only thing is that one must leave the theatre craving for a great meal.
Charming love story for foodies
Imdbidia10 February 2011
A German film that tells the story of chef Martha and the changes in her life and job after her orphan niece moves to her place and a new Italian chef joins the team in her restaurant. Love will be a catalyst in Martha's personal life, and also in the way she approaches food and her job as a chef.
The movie is a nice mix of drama, romance, and "foodies" movie, with stereotypical characters: the flourish flirtatious Italian, the hard resilient cold German, and the rebellious troubled kid.
The believability of the movie is heavily indebted to Martina Gedeck's performance as Martha and to child Maxime Foerste as her nice Lina. They both play with great conviction their respective hard characters. Sergio Castellitto is very charming as the Italian chef Mario, and plays his character with a mix of downgraded Italianism and Flourish Germanism, so to speak. The three of them have a great chemistry on camera and carry on the story well.
Said this, I found that the romance story, although charming, was underdeveloped, while the struggling relationship with the kid was completely predictable and unoriginal. In fact this is just a traditional film recipe well carried on and well acted. However, the movie received an accolade of local and European awards and lead Hollywood to adapt the movie in No Reservations, adapting the plot to American tastes and turning it into a straight comedy.
An enjoyable film with stereotypical characters and situations, and very good performances. Perfect for foodies!
The movie is a nice mix of drama, romance, and "foodies" movie, with stereotypical characters: the flourish flirtatious Italian, the hard resilient cold German, and the rebellious troubled kid.
The believability of the movie is heavily indebted to Martina Gedeck's performance as Martha and to child Maxime Foerste as her nice Lina. They both play with great conviction their respective hard characters. Sergio Castellitto is very charming as the Italian chef Mario, and plays his character with a mix of downgraded Italianism and Flourish Germanism, so to speak. The three of them have a great chemistry on camera and carry on the story well.
Said this, I found that the romance story, although charming, was underdeveloped, while the struggling relationship with the kid was completely predictable and unoriginal. In fact this is just a traditional film recipe well carried on and well acted. However, the movie received an accolade of local and European awards and lead Hollywood to adapt the movie in No Reservations, adapting the plot to American tastes and turning it into a straight comedy.
An enjoyable film with stereotypical characters and situations, and very good performances. Perfect for foodies!
A Perfectionist Becomes Unglued-Charmingly, Movingly
lawprof6 September 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Director Sandra Nettelbeck directed a wonderful cast in an outstanding film blending drama and comedy in a setting that left me moved - and hungry.
"Mostly Martha" (original name "Bella Martha") revolves around wound-up-tight-as-a-burrito master chef Martha (Martina Gedeck). Responsible for the success of Lido, her boss, Frida's (Sybille Canonica) urban German restaurant, Martha must nevertheless comply with her employer's demand that she weekly see a therapist (August Zirner). Martha seems clueless as to why therapy might help her but observing her in the kitchen and with restaurant guests suggests that her boss isn't too off-base sending her to a shrink. On the other hand, this therapist seems to at sea with her. He'd really find his place in New York.
Martha is Lido's proud and controlling head chef and she benevolently but firmly rules the kitchen. She's less charming with complaining customers engaging in forced and loud confrontations that I doubt even a hardened New Yorker could tolerate. Or an owner.
Coming for a visit, Martha's sister is fatally injured in a car crash leaving her eight-year old daughter, Lina (Maxine Foreste), lightly injured physically but deeply grief-stricken and withdrawn. Of course what follows is Martha's attempt to care for Lina and the clashes this unanticipated and initially painful relationship inevitably spawns.
Complicating matters, enter handsome chef Mario (Sergio Castellitto) who Frida hired without Martha's clearance. Professional jealousy? Fear of competition? Rude behavior? No spoilers in listing the inevitable.
Films with food as a central theme often allow the potential joy of gustatory pleasures to serve as a metaphor for the possibilities of satisfying and meaningful personal relations. Sappiness is a very possible roadblock too often encountered in this genre where the saccharine isn't just on the table. Not here. Everyone in the cast is marvelous. The characters are real. It's impossible not to care about them.
Especially winning is Maxine playing Lina. The nuances of her portrayal mirror without histrionics the path a bereaved little child must follow to reach acceptance and happiness. Martha, with no experience with children, goes through a believable transformation that made at least this viewer root silently for her. A woman who thinks a depressed and scared child wants haute cuisine for every meal as comfort food has a way to go. And Martha makes the trip.
Please see this film. It won't show up in many places but it's bound to be in rental outlets before long.
10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Mostly Martha" (original name "Bella Martha") revolves around wound-up-tight-as-a-burrito master chef Martha (Martina Gedeck). Responsible for the success of Lido, her boss, Frida's (Sybille Canonica) urban German restaurant, Martha must nevertheless comply with her employer's demand that she weekly see a therapist (August Zirner). Martha seems clueless as to why therapy might help her but observing her in the kitchen and with restaurant guests suggests that her boss isn't too off-base sending her to a shrink. On the other hand, this therapist seems to at sea with her. He'd really find his place in New York.
Martha is Lido's proud and controlling head chef and she benevolently but firmly rules the kitchen. She's less charming with complaining customers engaging in forced and loud confrontations that I doubt even a hardened New Yorker could tolerate. Or an owner.
Coming for a visit, Martha's sister is fatally injured in a car crash leaving her eight-year old daughter, Lina (Maxine Foreste), lightly injured physically but deeply grief-stricken and withdrawn. Of course what follows is Martha's attempt to care for Lina and the clashes this unanticipated and initially painful relationship inevitably spawns.
Complicating matters, enter handsome chef Mario (Sergio Castellitto) who Frida hired without Martha's clearance. Professional jealousy? Fear of competition? Rude behavior? No spoilers in listing the inevitable.
Films with food as a central theme often allow the potential joy of gustatory pleasures to serve as a metaphor for the possibilities of satisfying and meaningful personal relations. Sappiness is a very possible roadblock too often encountered in this genre where the saccharine isn't just on the table. Not here. Everyone in the cast is marvelous. The characters are real. It's impossible not to care about them.
Especially winning is Maxine playing Lina. The nuances of her portrayal mirror without histrionics the path a bereaved little child must follow to reach acceptance and happiness. Martha, with no experience with children, goes through a believable transformation that made at least this viewer root silently for her. A woman who thinks a depressed and scared child wants haute cuisine for every meal as comfort food has a way to go. And Martha makes the trip.
Please see this film. It won't show up in many places but it's bound to be in rental outlets before long.
10/10!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"Mostly Martha" weds subtle film-making with stereotypes
Chris Knipp24 August 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Contains Spoiler Martha Klein (the lovely Martina Gedeck) is a superb chef in this German movie written and directed by Sandra Nettelbeck, but she's without intimacy in her life and her precision in the kitchen is matched by uptightness everywhere else. Along comes the death of her sister in a car accident, leaving an eight-year-old daughter, Lina (Maxime Foerste), to complicate and ultimately warm up Martha's life. Lina starts sleeping at Martha's, but won't eat, and has no enthusiasm for school. Martha hopes to find Lina's lost Italian father because she can't figure out how to control Lina or make her enjoy life again.
Then Martha goes back to her kitchen and finds the restaurant owner has hired a second in command to fill in for her, a mellow, flakey Italian artiste (and admirer of her cooking) named Mario (Sergio Castellitto) who's everything she isn't and who soon cons Lina into scarfing spaghetti. (Lina warms to Mario because she wants to find her dad).
"I wish I had a recipe for you," Martha tells Lina. She's so limited she even talks to her shrink about nothing but cooking. Oddly, if humorously, the shrink caves in to this and in a final scene is shown trying out a desert on her made from her recipe. As meticulous as ever, she says it was made with the wrong sugar.
"Mostly Martha" ("Bella Martha") is built out of the cliché contrast between cold Germans and warm Italians and asks us to believe that an Italian can open up a chilly German girl's heart and make her human. This is a feel-good movie about depression, frigidity, and loss. It's moving when one sees the starving, grieving little girl take her first mouthful of pasta and start to smile again, but one knows one's being shamelessly manipulated.
The movie has a glossy look that builds from the severe elegance of the restaurant (called the Lido, which shows an Italian's likely to come in eventually and take over) and the cool beauty of the star, Ms. Gedeck. It gradually modulates into a greater sense of life that comes from seeing lovely food and a grizzled Italian singing. What makes "Mostly Martha" compelling is its subtlety and restraint, the gray light in the immaculate kitchen, Martha's cool yet expressive face. Sandra Nettlebeck knows how to make a story clear without hitting you over the head with its points.
I was reminded of Nanni Moretti's "La stanza del figlio" ("The Son's Room"), which deals with the death of a son and a family's effort to cope with the devastation wrought by it. Here the heroine is really incapable of dealing with the death that has happened otherwise than by going back to work. She's incapable of showing much physical warmth to the little girl. You wonder how this sudden adoption by Martha can be any good for Lina especially when after babysitting fails Martha starts bringing her to the kitchen all evening and the child begins to get to school very late and then skip it altogether. There is the same sense of devastation and confusion as in "La stanza del figlio," in which the psychiatrist father went back to work, but couldn't function any more.
Somehow Mario turns this around. He not only brings Lina out of her shell but he humanizes the reluctant Martha. I suppose this is true to life on some level, that real German women go hunting for Latin lovers on vacation or at home; in fact Lina may have been the fruit of such a union. But it's hard to see it happening in a movie without its seeming ridden with clichés. This is the paradox of "Mostly Martha": it's a subtle, elegant movie whose resolution is a set of clichés.
Despite the nuance and beauty -- not to mention many moments of charming humor -- of "Mostly Martha," it still seems too schematic, its finale too quickly tacked on to make a satisfying movie. Martha remains a paradox. Her specialties are lush items like pigeon with truffles, yet everything about her life is spare and bare. Oddly, in a movie about food, we see a lot of people unable to eat. It's almost too in character that Martha often takes refuge during rush hour in the kitchen by entering the walk-in freezer. As the movie ends, she has left the restaurant and her life is transformed. But the scene with the shrink suggests that she has not changed one wit.
Then Martha goes back to her kitchen and finds the restaurant owner has hired a second in command to fill in for her, a mellow, flakey Italian artiste (and admirer of her cooking) named Mario (Sergio Castellitto) who's everything she isn't and who soon cons Lina into scarfing spaghetti. (Lina warms to Mario because she wants to find her dad).
"I wish I had a recipe for you," Martha tells Lina. She's so limited she even talks to her shrink about nothing but cooking. Oddly, if humorously, the shrink caves in to this and in a final scene is shown trying out a desert on her made from her recipe. As meticulous as ever, she says it was made with the wrong sugar.
"Mostly Martha" ("Bella Martha") is built out of the cliché contrast between cold Germans and warm Italians and asks us to believe that an Italian can open up a chilly German girl's heart and make her human. This is a feel-good movie about depression, frigidity, and loss. It's moving when one sees the starving, grieving little girl take her first mouthful of pasta and start to smile again, but one knows one's being shamelessly manipulated.
The movie has a glossy look that builds from the severe elegance of the restaurant (called the Lido, which shows an Italian's likely to come in eventually and take over) and the cool beauty of the star, Ms. Gedeck. It gradually modulates into a greater sense of life that comes from seeing lovely food and a grizzled Italian singing. What makes "Mostly Martha" compelling is its subtlety and restraint, the gray light in the immaculate kitchen, Martha's cool yet expressive face. Sandra Nettlebeck knows how to make a story clear without hitting you over the head with its points.
I was reminded of Nanni Moretti's "La stanza del figlio" ("The Son's Room"), which deals with the death of a son and a family's effort to cope with the devastation wrought by it. Here the heroine is really incapable of dealing with the death that has happened otherwise than by going back to work. She's incapable of showing much physical warmth to the little girl. You wonder how this sudden adoption by Martha can be any good for Lina especially when after babysitting fails Martha starts bringing her to the kitchen all evening and the child begins to get to school very late and then skip it altogether. There is the same sense of devastation and confusion as in "La stanza del figlio," in which the psychiatrist father went back to work, but couldn't function any more.
Somehow Mario turns this around. He not only brings Lina out of her shell but he humanizes the reluctant Martha. I suppose this is true to life on some level, that real German women go hunting for Latin lovers on vacation or at home; in fact Lina may have been the fruit of such a union. But it's hard to see it happening in a movie without its seeming ridden with clichés. This is the paradox of "Mostly Martha": it's a subtle, elegant movie whose resolution is a set of clichés.
Despite the nuance and beauty -- not to mention many moments of charming humor -- of "Mostly Martha," it still seems too schematic, its finale too quickly tacked on to make a satisfying movie. Martha remains a paradox. Her specialties are lush items like pigeon with truffles, yet everything about her life is spare and bare. Oddly, in a movie about food, we see a lot of people unable to eat. It's almost too in character that Martha often takes refuge during rush hour in the kitchen by entering the walk-in freezer. As the movie ends, she has left the restaurant and her life is transformed. But the scene with the shrink suggests that she has not changed one wit.
If you ever needed a reason to learn German
Stephen-3425 October 2005
You have it now. Buy, don't rent this film. It's a keeper. Most notable and with great kudos to the director, the films stays true to itself almost all the way through. Far enough to beat out most other films. There are a few quibbles toward the end of the film, but not enough to shake off the aura it imparts just giving yourself over to its story.
The camera moves efficiently and cleanly throughout the film, and the actors respond with clean understated action and dialog.
The story is spare, and I found what I think is a clue to the writer's intention, as the protagonist describes the menu purpose of "Fish in Butter and Basil sauce." Listen for it and see if you don't agree, she is speaking to us about her story/film.
To own this is, like Nurse Betty, to own something you just have to pull out and watch a couple of times a year. just because they're so darn good.
No wonder the folks in H'wood are busy at making an American version for 2007.
The camera moves efficiently and cleanly throughout the film, and the actors respond with clean understated action and dialog.
The story is spare, and I found what I think is a clue to the writer's intention, as the protagonist describes the menu purpose of "Fish in Butter and Basil sauce." Listen for it and see if you don't agree, she is speaking to us about her story/film.
To own this is, like Nurse Betty, to own something you just have to pull out and watch a couple of times a year. just because they're so darn good.
No wonder the folks in H'wood are busy at making an American version for 2007.
Bitter sweet with emotional flavours
dmk220 June 2003
Not exactly a comedy as billed, though amusing in places, never the less a good film. Excellent for those who like food and food films. Well acted, great little film. Doesn't top 'Eat, Drink, Man, Woman' by Ang Lee, though.
exceptionally good movie
planktonrules5 September 2005
This film is an excellent psychological study of a VERY controlled and emotionally constricted woman who uses food, believe it or not, as a way of avoiding intimacy. She is a superb chef who is incredibly precise and demanding concerning her cooking because she is so uncomfortable with people. However, into her tightly controlled world comes chaos in the form of her niece--whose mother was just killed in an auto accident. Not surprisingly, she has a hard time relating to this child and I was thrilled that her transformation to a whole person took time and wasn't achieved in a Hollywood-style way. Instead, this little girl (who was not overly cute or fake--thank goodness) and a new chef at her restaurant (who was completely unlike her) influence Martha in a way that is believable and satisfying.
By the way, while not quite as good as The Big Night (which came out the same year) or Babette's feast, this movie is VERY reminiscent of them--elevating food to a true work of art.
By the way, while not quite as good as The Big Night (which came out the same year) or Babette's feast, this movie is VERY reminiscent of them--elevating food to a true work of art.
Not really a "foodie" movie
sibleybridges5 July 2020
I rated Mostly Martha (2001) 6/10. I'm a bit confused why this makes so many best of "foodie" lists since the cooking is very secondary to the plot and exists solely to be a place where stuff sometimes happens, but it is a decent family drama and it is obviously an influence on Chef.
Not appetizing at all
hvandooren10 August 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Bella Martha doesn't convince me. Martha, the frustrated top cook, is out of place in this role. As are the unreal clean kitchens, settings and props. No stains, no live, no love. The cooking doesn't make you wanna eat. The cast is so polished they are almost like window dressing dolls. When the little niece is in hospital she wears the make-up of a woman on a night out. Martha's counterpart is an insanely optimistic cliché Italian, who had to be dubbed (which is badly done). Then there is the incredible story of the rebellious niece who loses her mother (Martha's sister) and who is handed over to an totally unknown Italian father as if it were an Ebay-trade. Then there is the pointless appearances of next door neighbor Sam. Of course there is an happy ending after 90 boring minutes, In style with the movie: not convincing at all.
Home Cooking
writers_reign9 January 2004
It's almost as if Nettelbeck had been given a recipe for a perfect film - start with the tried-and-tested, take a character living alone, set in his/her ways then saddle him/her with a young kid and simmer the love-hate on a low flame; add a culture clash and vamp til ready -and discarded it in favor of her own ingredients. The culinery metaphor is self-explanatory but it IS fun to see the heavy, lard-based German cuisine slugging it out with the lighter, oil-based Italian style. Up front we have two cold teutonic hearts, aunt and neice and with the introduction of the Italian extrovert chef we know it is only a matter of time til the warm Italian sun thaws the cold aryan hearts. That's pretty much what happens but it is a DELIGHT to go along for the ride and surrender your emotional taste-buds to Nettelbeck's expertise for the entire running time. I've just seen this movie for the second time in about 8 months and I was just as captivated this time around. 9/10
A German comedy made with charming and tender humour
cozzatti24 February 2003
I'd liked a lot of this German comedy. Sincerely, I wasn't expect much of this picture, because I didn't known the director Sandra Nettelbeck. It's a kind of pop movie of high human and dramatic level. The characters are well designed and well acted by an unknown and professional cast. Well, Castellitto was knowed for some Italian films, but the German cast, I think, are not known in Brazil. People, intellectual or not, love people like us, who suffers, try to grow up, changing for better. Every viewer, man or female, identifies with Martha, her difficulties with feelings and general relationship. The story aren't much original, but the way that the director treated yes, with a charming and tender humour. The contrast between German and Italian cultures gives the fundamental basis for our pleasure in to watch this delicious and delicate movie,that I recommend for everybody who loves good and selected pictures.Welcome,Sandra, to the field of the good female German directors, like Doris Dorrie, for example.
If at first you don't love it...
jherbert26 February 2004
Obviously, I liked this film more than most. I found it touching and
well acted. And it had a realistic character who is quite frustrating
to watch, even with her therapist. I also felt her insecurity when the
charming Italian shows up. A chick flick? Believe it or not, men
sometimes feel insecure and threatened, too. Moreover, the
actors had a chance to really journey through an "arc", ending up at
a place different from where they began. That doesn't happen in
most films. Finally, if you see "Martha" and don't love it, I suggest
you watch it a second time, with your eyes closed. Listen to Paulo
Conti. He's incredible! If nothing else, the film introduced me to
his music, and that alone would be enough.
well acted. And it had a realistic character who is quite frustrating
to watch, even with her therapist. I also felt her insecurity when the
charming Italian shows up. A chick flick? Believe it or not, men
sometimes feel insecure and threatened, too. Moreover, the
actors had a chance to really journey through an "arc", ending up at
a place different from where they began. That doesn't happen in
most films. Finally, if you see "Martha" and don't love it, I suggest
you watch it a second time, with your eyes closed. Listen to Paulo
Conti. He's incredible! If nothing else, the film introduced me to
his music, and that alone would be enough.
Bellissima
ddelamaide2 September 2002
Such a fine balance of humor and feeling is rare, superb performances from a wonderful ensemble of German actors (so sad that an international audience does not get to see more of these fine performers), great script, virtually flawless direction--what more do you want from a film? To make such a virtue of German understatement, where feelings run so strong underneath the surface. To use German inflexibility as a foil for real people who are truly able to break the rules to achieve happiness. This is not a fluke, simply a side of Germany most people don't get to see. A restaurant kitchen is such a universal setting that it doesn't matter that the film is set in Germany, in Hamburg. It seems familiar to all of us. And the emotions too are universal, and touching. One of the best films of the year.
Perhaps predictable but made with good taste
galia-11 February 2004
I admit that the film may be predictable, but the acting and the way it was made makes it worth watching it. It may not change your life but it may allow you to enjoy a movie made with good taste that you can watch with your whole family. I found Martha and the Italian cook charming. 7 out of 10
A little diamond,sensitive delicately done piece of art,director's work
dav2214 November 2001
A little diamond,sensitive, delicately done piece of art,director's work. Sandra Nettelbeck has the talent that only few newcommers have. Great performances,especially by Martina Gedeck as Chef. Must be one of 10 best films for 2001
A Poetic Movie
fanni17 July 2002
It is a very poetic movie about sentiments, human relationships, love and being able to love.
There is an interesting and amusing way to symbolize food: cold and technical in the attitude of Martha at the beginning and, at the opposite,warm and 'affective' in Mario's style. It is a bit schematic, but very effective. The same opposition is between Mario's Italian character and Martha's....
Very pleasant movie, worth to be seen.
There is an interesting and amusing way to symbolize food: cold and technical in the attitude of Martha at the beginning and, at the opposite,warm and 'affective' in Mario's style. It is a bit schematic, but very effective. The same opposition is between Mario's Italian character and Martha's....
Very pleasant movie, worth to be seen.
Marvelous slice of life and gastronomy with drama, comedy and love
SimonJack7 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is a marvelous film with a wonderful story filmed mostly in Germany, and in German and Italian languages. English subtitles make it easy to follow this drama and comedy romance.
What does Martha Klein know about raising children? She barely has been an aunt – just seeing her sister and niece, Lina, occasionally. Martha is a master chef. She's the "second best" chef in Hamburg, Germany, according to her boss, Frida, who owns Lido. That's the gourmet restaurant in Hamburg, where Martha rules supreme in the kitchen. But, Martha is short not only on parenting skills. She is a high-strung perfectionist whose interpersonal skills are almost nil. After Martha's repeated instances of scenes she creates with customers, Frida requires her to see a therapist. She is obsessed with food mastery, and her sessions turn into humorous diversions about food.
Her life enters a new phase when she learns that her sister and niece were in a car wreck, and her sister was killed. Now, she has nine-year old Lina to care for. The young girl understandably is in shock, and Martha's stern, firm ways do nothing to help her. After returning to work, she is furious to learn that Frida has hired an Italian sous chef, Mario, to replace the pregnant Lea who is about to give birth. Mario is an easygoing, chipper character who wins the hearts of the kitchen staff except Martha. She dislikes him and thinks he may be a threat to her job.
Martha has been unable to find a babysitter for Lina, so she takes her to work with her. The girl doesn't eat, even though Martha has made gourmet meals for the two of them at home. Finally, in the kitchen, with Mario's bright demeanor and lively banter and music, Lina eats a plate of spaghetti that Mario places near her. In time the girl takes to Mario, and Martha begins to melt. More happens over time, with Mario cooking a meal for the three of them at Martha's apartment.
Toward the end, Martha locates Lina's father who has his own family in Italy. He and his wife welcome Lina into their family. But Martha soon misses her niece. She and Mario have become close and he convinces her to move to Italy to be near Lina. On their drive down, Martha says she has reservations about moving, and Mario says something like, "Oh sure! Why would you want to leave Hamburg where it rains all the time to go to sunny Italy?"
All of the cast for this film are superb. Most are German actors. Martina Gedeck plays Martha, Sibylle Canonica is Frida, Katja Studt is Lea, August Zirner is Martha's therapist and Maxime Foerste plays niece Lina. Italian actor Sergio Castellitto plays Mario. An interesting aspect of this movie is that Castellitto didn't speak any German, and Gedeck didn't understand Italian. So they shot the film with each speaking their own language. Then Castellitto's lines were dubbed in German for the finished film by Frank Glaubrecht.
The humor and warmth of this story are endearing. It's a wonderful film that the whole family should enjoy.
What does Martha Klein know about raising children? She barely has been an aunt – just seeing her sister and niece, Lina, occasionally. Martha is a master chef. She's the "second best" chef in Hamburg, Germany, according to her boss, Frida, who owns Lido. That's the gourmet restaurant in Hamburg, where Martha rules supreme in the kitchen. But, Martha is short not only on parenting skills. She is a high-strung perfectionist whose interpersonal skills are almost nil. After Martha's repeated instances of scenes she creates with customers, Frida requires her to see a therapist. She is obsessed with food mastery, and her sessions turn into humorous diversions about food.
Her life enters a new phase when she learns that her sister and niece were in a car wreck, and her sister was killed. Now, she has nine-year old Lina to care for. The young girl understandably is in shock, and Martha's stern, firm ways do nothing to help her. After returning to work, she is furious to learn that Frida has hired an Italian sous chef, Mario, to replace the pregnant Lea who is about to give birth. Mario is an easygoing, chipper character who wins the hearts of the kitchen staff except Martha. She dislikes him and thinks he may be a threat to her job.
Martha has been unable to find a babysitter for Lina, so she takes her to work with her. The girl doesn't eat, even though Martha has made gourmet meals for the two of them at home. Finally, in the kitchen, with Mario's bright demeanor and lively banter and music, Lina eats a plate of spaghetti that Mario places near her. In time the girl takes to Mario, and Martha begins to melt. More happens over time, with Mario cooking a meal for the three of them at Martha's apartment.
Toward the end, Martha locates Lina's father who has his own family in Italy. He and his wife welcome Lina into their family. But Martha soon misses her niece. She and Mario have become close and he convinces her to move to Italy to be near Lina. On their drive down, Martha says she has reservations about moving, and Mario says something like, "Oh sure! Why would you want to leave Hamburg where it rains all the time to go to sunny Italy?"
All of the cast for this film are superb. Most are German actors. Martina Gedeck plays Martha, Sibylle Canonica is Frida, Katja Studt is Lea, August Zirner is Martha's therapist and Maxime Foerste plays niece Lina. Italian actor Sergio Castellitto plays Mario. An interesting aspect of this movie is that Castellitto didn't speak any German, and Gedeck didn't understand Italian. So they shot the film with each speaking their own language. Then Castellitto's lines were dubbed in German for the finished film by Frank Glaubrecht.
The humor and warmth of this story are endearing. It's a wonderful film that the whole family should enjoy.
No recipe for how to bring up a girl
Horst_In_Translation25 March 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Bella Martha" is an almost 15-year-old movie by Sandra Nettelbeck. As in all her works she not only wrote the film, but also directed it. Also it was her very first movie for the big screen. Since then, in her next 3 projects, she has worked with Michael Caine, Jane Alexander, Gillian Anderson and Ashley Judd. Not too prolific though as she makes only one film every four years and next year she will turn 50. "Bella Martha" runs for roughly 100 minutes and was so appreciated that they made a US remake a couple years later with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the lead role. Here, however, it's all about Martina Gedeck. She won the German Film Award and also the German Film Critics Awards for her portrayal here. Sergio Castellitto (the male lead, you may know him if you're Italian or have watched Narnia) and Nettelbeck herself also scored some awards recognition.
Idil Üner and Ulrich Thomsen appear in smaller roles here and the rest of the cast is not particularly famous, but still all experienced German actors. Gedeck has been in "Das Leben der Anderen" and "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex" since then, but the child actress, Maxime Foesrte, here has not been in films for several years now. Maybe she is back to "normal life". Would be a shame as she shows some potential here. She plays the daughter of a woman who gets killed in a car accident and has to deal with her aunt as her new "mother" from now on. Obvious, as a big part of the film is about cooking, they won't miss out on the funny parts that Gedeck's character does not prepare spaghetti for the girl, but instead highly exquisite dishes or wants to show her in one scene how you make the perfect crème brûlée. Or another comedic highlight were her sessions with her psychiatrist. And then there's the more serious parts of dealing with death or finding ways to a more fulfilling life.
Bella Martha is a good mix of comedy, drama and love story, smartly written and with good performances from everybody involved. Not much wrong with this film except the cheesy title perhaps. Recommended.
Idil Üner and Ulrich Thomsen appear in smaller roles here and the rest of the cast is not particularly famous, but still all experienced German actors. Gedeck has been in "Das Leben der Anderen" and "Der Baader Meinhof Komplex" since then, but the child actress, Maxime Foesrte, here has not been in films for several years now. Maybe she is back to "normal life". Would be a shame as she shows some potential here. She plays the daughter of a woman who gets killed in a car accident and has to deal with her aunt as her new "mother" from now on. Obvious, as a big part of the film is about cooking, they won't miss out on the funny parts that Gedeck's character does not prepare spaghetti for the girl, but instead highly exquisite dishes or wants to show her in one scene how you make the perfect crème brûlée. Or another comedic highlight were her sessions with her psychiatrist. And then there's the more serious parts of dealing with death or finding ways to a more fulfilling life.
Bella Martha is a good mix of comedy, drama and love story, smartly written and with good performances from everybody involved. Not much wrong with this film except the cheesy title perhaps. Recommended.
Mostly Martha: 4/10
movieguy102110 October 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Mostly Martha isn't. It's all about Martha. We find out so little about the other characters, we only know stuff about the main character, and even then it is a very little amount.
Martha (Martina Gedeck) is a master chef who has to make every dish perfect. She's the second best cook in the city, according to her boss. Of course, Martha doesn't think that. When the customer thinks a dish is undercooked, she forgets that the customer is always right.
Martha's sister dies, and her daughter Lina (Maxime Foerste) comes and stays with her for awhile. We don't know squat about Lina (except that she doesn't like oysters), and we don't learn anything about her as the movie progresses. Her behavior (skipping school) is something we have no idea she is capable of; they make us think that she is an angel and she does something dastardely, but there's no proof that she was an "angel".
The various other characters that come into play don't work either. Sam (Ulrich Thomsen), Martha's neighbor, has nothing to do except to be there whenever he is needed in the script. Speaking of the script, I thought it was a comedy. One laugh, one smile. I guess I was mistaken, but it's upsetting that people actually think it's a comedy (just like Gosford Park). The music cues were often too loud, and seemed to be for a dramatic scene in a comedy (not to mention it sounded like music from the computer game The Sims).
On the other hand, Gedeck was good as Martha, she had me convinced that she Martha, the busy woman who didn't really have any life. I also thought Foerste was fine as Lina, but her emotions were uneven. She didn't cry when her mother died, but she was really upset when Martha forgot to pick her up. It wasn't her fault, it was the script's. She was mortified at Martha at one part, and then after a very un-motivating speech by Martha, everything's honky-dory.
The running time could have been trimmed down, and the script was very predictable. Once Martha meets a new chef at her resturant, they initally hate each other? Three guesses on what happens, and the first two don't count. I would not recommend Mostly Martha (which is a stupid name for a movie anyway), and there are better limited-release movies out there to see.
Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements.
My rating: 4/10
In German with English subtitles.
Martha (Martina Gedeck) is a master chef who has to make every dish perfect. She's the second best cook in the city, according to her boss. Of course, Martha doesn't think that. When the customer thinks a dish is undercooked, she forgets that the customer is always right.
Martha's sister dies, and her daughter Lina (Maxime Foerste) comes and stays with her for awhile. We don't know squat about Lina (except that she doesn't like oysters), and we don't learn anything about her as the movie progresses. Her behavior (skipping school) is something we have no idea she is capable of; they make us think that she is an angel and she does something dastardely, but there's no proof that she was an "angel".
The various other characters that come into play don't work either. Sam (Ulrich Thomsen), Martha's neighbor, has nothing to do except to be there whenever he is needed in the script. Speaking of the script, I thought it was a comedy. One laugh, one smile. I guess I was mistaken, but it's upsetting that people actually think it's a comedy (just like Gosford Park). The music cues were often too loud, and seemed to be for a dramatic scene in a comedy (not to mention it sounded like music from the computer game The Sims).
On the other hand, Gedeck was good as Martha, she had me convinced that she Martha, the busy woman who didn't really have any life. I also thought Foerste was fine as Lina, but her emotions were uneven. She didn't cry when her mother died, but she was really upset when Martha forgot to pick her up. It wasn't her fault, it was the script's. She was mortified at Martha at one part, and then after a very un-motivating speech by Martha, everything's honky-dory.
The running time could have been trimmed down, and the script was very predictable. Once Martha meets a new chef at her resturant, they initally hate each other? Three guesses on what happens, and the first two don't count. I would not recommend Mostly Martha (which is a stupid name for a movie anyway), and there are better limited-release movies out there to see.
Rated PG for mild language and thematic elements.
My rating: 4/10
In German with English subtitles.
Everything "Chocolat" should have been! (Not a Spoiler)
ncarmadilloman23 July 2004
Warning: Spoilers
In my opinion, Mostly Martha possessed all of the ambient factors required to deliver a really good Romantic Dramedy. It was the total package, sensual, sensuous and most importantly it contained several dramatic elements that were genuinely entertaining. The film was superbly cast and directed. I was completely enchanted by Martina Gedeck's role as Martha, which was based primarily on emotional development and adult growth toward maturity. Sergio Castellitto, (Mario), was humorous passionate and seemed to displayed some of the improvisational qualities that are reflective of, dare I say, the incomparable Roberto Benigni. If there was a short coming in terms of the writing for a particular character in this film it was that of Lena, Martha's eight-year-old niece. Maxime Foerste did an above average job her portrayal of a traumatized child. She simply wasn't as dysfunctional as I anticipated based on the background activity in Martha's initial telephone conversation with her sister. Mostly Martha was a pleasant surprise, particularly based to the fact that the film didn't receive a great deal of hype or critical acclaim. If you're prone to enjoy this kind of flick and don't mind the foreign language aspect then you should really enjoy this one.
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