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List Price: $9.98 | | Label: 20th Century Fox
Salesrank: 7408
Released: August 27, 2002 |
| Our Price: $4.19 |
| Used Price: $1.43 |
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MPAA Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Beautiful restaurant owner Amanda Shelton (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is falling head over heels for handsome, hard-driving executive Tom Bartlett (Sean Patrick Flanery). Unfortunately, Tom is too busy to recognize that she's truly the girl of his dreams until Amanda puts him under her tantalizing spell!
Description of Simply Irresistible:
Call it Buffy the Culinary Slayer. Sarah Michelle Gellar, who usually runs around staking vampires and fighting demons, turns cute and cuddly as an aspiring chef in this magical-realist comedy that borrows a page--heck, whole chapters--from Like Water for Chocolate. Out at the market one day, Gellar stumbles on both a magical crab and the babelicious Sean Patrick Flanery who, wouldn't you know it, is opening up a posh restaurant at Bendel's department store (actually, the two have been brought together by fairy godfather Christopher Durang). Odd and implausible circumstances give these two cuties more opportunities to moon at each other, and suddenly Gellar's cooking takes off--turns out all her nicey-nice feelings towards Flanery are going into her cooking, with the help of that quiet but powerful little crab. Gellar's almost-closed restaurant starts to thrive, and her desserts begin making everyone horny. A cute premise that never really takes off, Simply Irresistible glides along on Gellar's charisma alone; in her off hours, Buffy certainly can be the lighthearted girl next door, and Gellar works to give some depth to her one-dimensional character. Flanery, though, while appealing at times, plays up his character's commitment-phobia to irritating degrees. Chock full of fairy-tale elements that never really come together (is that crab really necessary?), Irresistible does boast charming performances by Patricia Clarkson and Dylan Baker as Flanery's secretary and boss, respectively. However, it's a little odd to see these two, who scored raves for two serious and harrowing art-house flicks (Clarkson in High Art, Baker in Happiness) doing the light-and-fluffy romantic comedy thing. They're two of the very few ingredients that occasionally make this soufflé of a movie rise; at the end, however, it's flat as a pancake. --Mark Englehart
Simply Irresistible Reviews:
Fantasy-comedy romance 
2009-11-14 - Ah Sean Patrick Flanery is gorgeous [and has gotten better with age as Hollywood men tend to do], and Sarah Michelle Gellar has come such a long way since this movie. I love the fantasy aspect of it; that all things are possible if you just really want it badly enough; and I love the relationship side of it - from his point of view, it's honest and well acted. They make a lovely couple on screen; the supporting actors are all outstanding - the Auntie drinking on the job; the quirky PA obsessed with Jonathan... it's just a great little movie.
Simply irresistable allright 
2009-10-09 - This movie evokes such wonderful feeling. It explores food and it's relationship to human emotion. Thrown in is a love story. The colours are amazing and the wardrobe full of lovely vintage pieces.y favourite movie of all time.
The Best Romantic Fantasy
2009-10-02 - Only rarely is a romantic fantasy ever done right on film. This is one of those rare films. The charaacters are played perfectly and the story unfolds perfectly. This stoy does not degenerate into a formulaic romantic comedy. It has elements of comedy - in fact some truly funny moments - but even though you get more real laughs in this movie than in most supposed comedies (romantic or not) this is not primarily a comedy. This movie is about romance. It is about the wishes of our hearts. And it is a beautiful story beautifully done.
We watch this movie at least once a year- owning it makes total sense.
Hungry for love anyone?
2009-08-06 - I have been looking for this movie for so long, i was so excited for this purchase, I thank you for it. I received it in no time, and hope to shop with you again.
LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE gone loopy! 
2009-07-21 - The premise of this movie is similar to that of LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE in that it is about a downtrodden chef that suddenly has the power to transfer her emotions into her food creations. However, this version is comical and extremely light-hearted in comparison.
Not a profoundly written film, but a good romance comedy for a quick rental. Sean Patrick Flannery is rather catching as the love interest and his assistant "Lois" played by Patricia Clarkson is wonderful with her dry wit.
Sarah Michelle Gellar is just OK, but her wardrobe (designed by Todd Oldham) deserves an honorable mention.
For foodies there are several troublesome items: Sarah Michelle Gellars character "Amanda" never wears a full chefs apron (except for once) and she constantly plays with her hair and continues cooking without washing her hands. She doesn't have her hair tied back or secured. Might not bother other people, but it really distracted me, considering she is cooking in a restaurant. Minor details I guess, but it just gets on your nerves after a while.
If you are in the mood for a light, bright and quirky romance film, nothing heavy or thought provoking, this would be a good choice for a rental.
