Rating: PG13
Genre:
Comedy Drama
Theatrical Release: 08/24/2001(USA
Release Date: 01/15/2002
SubTitles: English/Espanol
Dubbed: English/Espanol
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 103 Minutes
Flags: Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Profanity
Distributor/Studio: Columbia TriStar
A remake of
Ang Lee's family comedy
Eat Drink Man Woman,
Maria Ripoli's Hispanic-American ensemble feature set in Southern California about a veteran chef named Martin Naranjo (
Hector Elizondo), who is slowly losing his sense of taste. He has three daughters, all of whom have chosen different paths. There is Letitia (
Elizabeth Pena), the oldest and most repressed of the bunch, a rigid schoolteacher who is a member of the Christian faith. His youngest, Maribel (
Tamara Mello), is the most assured, though plagued by doubts. His middle daughter Carmen (
Jacqueline Obradors) is most like him and shares his taste for cooking, but has chosen a career as a corporate consultant, which makes for a more secure lifestyle. She is offered a high-profile job in Barcelona, which causes a rift in the family setting. Maribel soon finds herself drawn to a handsome Brazilian student (
Nikolai Kinski), and Letitia is gaining affection for Orlando (
Paul Rodriguez), an awkward ballplayer whom her students have sent mistaken love letters to without her knowing. Also at their dinners are a shy single mother (
Constance Marie) and her obnoxious mother (
Raquel Welch), who has her sights set on Martin's affections.
Tortilla Soup is
Maria Ripoli's second major feature, after her whimsical 1998 feature
Twice Upon a Yesterday.
~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide