Tortilla Soup (2001)

Tortilla Soup is a lively remake of Ang Lee's excellent Eat Drink Man Woman, with much of the plot, dialogue and even shots replicated in a Hispanic cultural context. Seeing this I was reminded of how masterful the original's script was, how it elegantly balanced each of the daughter's strands against the ageing, traditional father. It took its time to reveal their cultural and generational differences - here, within minutes of the movie's opening, the family grievances are immediately aired out. The classic beginning, a wordless sequence of an artist crafting his food, is breezily intercut with each subplot of the daughters' lives. Familiarly, the semi-retired master chef Martin is regularly summoned to the restaurant to save the day, to make cuisine out of burnt mistakes. His entrance is even more theatrical than the original - he enters the back door and is immediately catered to by a throng of assistants, their long metal arms assembling his chef's uniform. It's like Iron Man suiting up for battle, and to Martin the kitchen is the front line. The food he serves may be delicious, as confirmed by the many guests at his dinner table, but what about the photography? Ang Lee and Jong Lin gave us wafts of steam, they gave us glistening closeups of fatty meat, they gave us juice and sauce. They evoked the senses through the screen - what great food movies do to not only worship craftsmanship, but also make the audience salivate. The food in Tortilla Soup is dull by comparison, and the photography closer to that of a TV special. And what is the overall theme of the meals? "Call it something French", Martin proclaims of his improvised mishmash of buttered bread and baked apple. The sous chef then smacks his lips and kisses his hand like an Italian. Are we in Mexico, or are we in Europe? The strength of the original was how it tied food to cultural identity, and how the boom of fast food and canteen lunches drove a wedge between two generations. Mr Chu had a proud exterior, but gained big puppy eyes when he saw how the art of xiaolongbao had been desecrated. Héctor Elizondo has almost none of this vulnerability, although he plays the well-meaning father figure well, with patience and sometimes bemused expressions. His youngest is turned into a vapid generational marker: highlights in her hair, a quick wit, and lines so 'hip' that it seems the writer had an epiphany and then couldn't bare to part with them even when they didn't work. Maria Ripoll, to her credit, has improved on the eldest daughter, who was merely a frigid spinster type, playing off the old schoolteacher trope. But Elizabeth Peña is livelier, more playful, especially in the mirror when she thinks no one is watching her. She hints at the long forgotten sisterly bonds that have faded with age, and when she is caught twirling her hair like a smitten schoolgirl, the quarrels suddenly hurtle back years. Her 'makeover' isn't one sister helping another catch the eye of a man, but two little girls playing dress up, giggling and whispering of crushes. Their kitchen musical show runs along the same lines, and later with this newfound liberation she uses the smashed plate to great effect, and relief. One final note that I see hasn't been mentioned is the language of the film, which threw me a curveball. They all talk in almost perfectly accented English, and at times it sounds like a bad dub. It doesn't help that the dialogue seems to be mixed slightly louder than the rest of the soundtrack. But this is years of conflicting experiences with blockbusters talking. Am I so set in my ways that I can't accept Mexicans without their typecast accent, like how the bumbling Orlando speaks? The film breaks these Hollywood conventions and says, "Yes, these are Mexicans too, and yes, they are as authentic as those wearing sombreros and gobbling down tacos". That is something invaluable.

This was a very nice story, with lot's of GREAT cooking. You may have to love cooking to completely get this movie though. But in my opinion, it does have very good acting. And LOT'S of food. Don't go into it expecting Oscar winning performances or anything like that. But, with an interesting cast of characters like we have here, lot's of fun things can happen. The story is able to take a few turns that were unexpected and help make this movie more fascinating than it might have been otherwise. Have a big meal before hand too, or you'll be starving by the end. Then, just sit back, relax, and enjoy it for what it is, and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I was.

First, let me say that I did not understand a lot in Eat Drink Man Woman, I am not familiar with life in Taipei, but I am familiar with life of Mexican's. That is one of the reason Tortilla Soup is so good, it takes Ang Lee's script and keeps the soul but adds some spice. The cast of Tortilla Soup is souper (I mean super): The elegant Hector Elizondo plays the hardworking single father of three independent girls; he is stern father with his girls but shows a softer side with the 10-year-old daughter of a cute neighbor played by the sexy Constance Marie. Plus he is one hell of a cook. Elizabeth Peña plays the overly religious older daughter Leticia, she tries to hide and hold down her passion but a handsome baseball coach, played by Paul Rodriguez, brings out the love in her. The other two daughters are played by Jacqueline Obradors, as the second eldest Carmen, who has her life mapped out by her father but she does not need a map. Tamara Mello as the sickly thin baby of the family Maribel who is ignored by her family and almost everyone else. Tortilla is great fun and has lots of heart, but has a soul to match. The surprises in this movie will make you laugh and smile days after the movie is over. A tasty 8 out of 10

what was the point of this movie?? all it was about was a bunch of people who had problems with jobs or love. i would not reccomend this movie to anyone unless you want to be bored out of your mind. it almost put me right to sleep.