Film Review
SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE
BY FRANK OCHIENG
Believe me, it's not hard to resist SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE, the limping love comedy that has all the charm of recycled chewing gumawkward mix of whimsy and emotion . This romantic comedy, an through foodso-called supernatural force called , is a sour surrealistic excuse to take a stab at the loveIRRESISTIBLE sustains its relevancy . Laced with blandish, empty-headed giddiness, SIMPLY by showcasing one of televisionof Sarah Michelle Gellar (the WB's 's hottest commodities in that Buffy The Vampire Slayercinematic syrup was a smart move to ). Featuring Gellar in this kind of capitalize on the young actressfilm arrives just in time for the ' immense popularity. Plus, this ValentineSIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE has all the 's Day 1999. Other than these mentioned revelations, gimpy gumption and goofiness you would expect from an unimaginative romantic comedy trying to be...well...an imaginative romantic comedy.
Gellar is an attractive and determined eatery chef who strikes up an unexplainable magical bond with that of a wheeeling-and-dealing bistro manager (Sean Patrick Flannery). A mysterious figure (Christopher Durang) is responsible for making this couple click like a pair of shiny castenets. During this whole frivolous episode between the cutie pie lovers, we stumble upon this instant notion that the food in which Gellar's chef cooks takes on a whole new meaning besides being tasty and delicious. Her patrons seem to experience some sort of ecstasy when eating their meals. The food conjures up and releases folks' inhibitions and desires unbeknownst to whomever tastes the spellbinding goodies.
SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE borrows its inspirational concept and premise from the far superior romantic foreign film LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. This vapid vehicle has the right intentions in trying to correlate its passion between two addictive forces--food and romance. But the movie never amounts to anything special beyond the vague showiness of its gladsome provocation. The mystique surrounding Gellar's food and her relationship with Flannery is all taken at face value without once investing any true interest or vitality behind their sudden mutual attraction. The audience is supposed to accept these spirited occurences yet the film never bothers to explore the spontaneity behind the natural forces of their fantasy. Plus, why would there have to be some magical mystery in getting both Gellar and Flannery together anyway? After all, they're both young, good-looking professionals who happen to be in the same line of work. This logic makes the angle of instant-karma-through-the-cravings-of-food bit seem totally turbid and unnecessary. The food involved doesn't appear exotic or luscious enough to convince us that the connection of eroticism through the film's chewy offerings really matters. The embarrassing and misguided food scenes in the Mickey Rourke/Kim Basinger film 9 1/2 WEEKS had more credibility and spunk.
Want to enjoy food and romance without the wasted trivial trial and tribulations of a dull, dragging feel-gooder like SIMPLY IRRESISTIBLE? How 'bout grabbing a Jackie Collins novel and reading it as you chomp on a Big Mac sandwich instead?