"Tortilla Soup"

What a charming film. It has just about everything in it: comedy, romance, family dynamics, and best of all, cooking. If you're a fan of foodie movies, you'll love this movie. I enjoyed Babette's Feast and Chocolat. I'm adding this one to my list. The story is about a single dad living with his three grown, headstrong, Latina daughters. The dad, Martin is a serious cook of all things Mexican. The close-up shots of him preparing all the food (and there's lot's of it), made me drool. The storyline involves his relationship with his daughters as well as their romantic encounters. Martin, (Hector Elizondo) was simply marvelous--charming, funny, and understated. His facial expressions cracked me up. Raquel Welsh plays a gold digger who has her sights on Martin--although her acting was a little over-the-top for my taste.  All-in-all, this is just a delightful feel good movie.

4 1/2 out of 5 stars