From the way it was marketed, No Reservations looked like any other romantic comedy. To a certain degree, this is true. After all, there’s nothing unique about a woman with neurotic control issues falling in love with an unpredictable, happy-go-lucky man.

Kate Armstrong (Zeta-Jones) is one of New York’s finest chefs, who likes to be in control. All that changes when she meets Nick Palmer (Aaron Eckhart), an Italian cook with a totally different approach to life.

The usual ingredients are here: initial dislike, eventual mutual attraction, a potentially relationship-ending disagreement, and happily ever after. Let’s not forget the comic moments too, the little sprinkling of physical humor and embarrassing moments. This is a romantic comedy after all.

But No Reservations comes with some special spicing that makes the mix out-of-the-ordinary. Aside from dealing with Nick, Kate also has to care for her orphaned niece, Zoe (Abigail Breslin), with no experience in child-rearing to draw upon. While struggling to let Nick into her life, she also has a hard time entering Zoe’s.

The scenes with her therapist also provide a welcome distraction from the romantic comedy formula, as well as provide some info on Kate’s personal issues. It’s a new way of revealing the character’s background, without resorting to that typical “So tell me about yourself…”

All in all, No Reservations is a decent film. Zeta-Jones and Eckhart play their roles well, but Breslin’s interpretation of a troubled young child sometimes steals the spotlight. The clichés of the genre are in full force, but at least director Scott Hicks made an effort to garnish the recipe, leaving the audience with a genuinely entertaining story. 3.5 fools out of five.