Love's Kitchen

July 14, 2012 - Real-life husband and wife Dougray Scott and Claire Forlani try to cook up some heat in this romance from 2011. But, despite a solid appearance from Simon Callow, the recipe still comes up lacking.

Scott plays Rob Haley, an up-and-coming chef in London. He's about to buy a pub in rural Wiltshire and turn it into his dream restaurant. His wife went to check out the place, but she never made it home because of her habit of talking on the cell phone while driving fast. Consequently, Rob spends the next three years cooking up microwave meals and calling his dead wife's cell phone just so he can hear her voice.

One day, Rob decides enough is enough. He returns to the pub to see if it's still for sale. Before he can close the deal, a pretty woman (Forlani) named Kate stops in for a pint and reveals that she is a food critic. In fact, she's a critic who said some not so nice things about Rob's work during those lost years. Rob ultimately buys the pub. He vows to keep out dogs and critics – until he realizes he needs both to make things a success.

Overall review: * This is one of those movies where you know that the couple will wind up together in the end. Unfortunately, it's not a lot of fun watching them get there. The love story is unconvincing. There are also quite a few side plots going on. That's a problem because it takes attention away from the main characters. On the other hand, since the main characters aren't very interesting, at least the side plots provide some entertainment.