Good films are hard to come by, but good films that emphasize the importance of family are even more rare. This is why, above all else, Tortilla Soup is a breath of fresh air. The Hispanic adaptation of Asian writer Ang Lee’s Eat Drink Man Woman follows the story of a close-knit clan held together by thyme, turmoil and tradition.

Although Tortilla Soup is a culturally driven piece, one need not be Hispanic to relate to the struggles of the Naranjo’s. Patriarch Martin Naranjo (Hector Elizondo) is the head of the household and sole parental figure to his three grown-up, stubborn-minded daughters. Leticia (Elizabeth Pena) is the eldest, a teacher obsessed with religion, purity and protecting papa. Carmen (Jacqueline Obradors), the middle daughter, is an independent, self-sufficient businesswoman with designs to take her career to the next level. Finally, there is Maribel (Tamara Mello), the free-spirited youngest child who is dead-set on seeing the world beyond the four walls of the Naranjo house.

Much of the family’s crucial moments (as well as the film’s) revolve around the preparation and celebration of glorious meals. Martin is a chef, infamous for his out-of-this-world creations. As the years have passed, however, Martin has all but lost his senses of taste and smell – two crucial ingredients to any good cook’s success. The scenes in which the family sits down for dinner are consistently entertaining and integral to the storyline, but the moments leading up to feasting are every bit as important. Brilliantly shot, the camera captures the essence of Martin’s love for cooking as we see him cut, grill and sauté his way through many dishes – as well as many changes. Such imagery succeeds in tying the food to the heart of the story, taking the term ‘comfort food’ to a whole new level.

The strained character development is probably the only real downfall of Tortilla Soup. This is a common struggle in ensemble pieces. The movie tries to incorporate as much as it can about its main characters, proving there is such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen. There is an interesting dynamic between Martin and Carmen, also a talented chef; as well as the back-story of how the family had to pick up the pieces after their mother died suddenly. We are given but a brief taste of these subplots, which, if anything, only whets our appetite for more.

Movies like Tortilla Soup prove there is a market for a hot plate of family oriented fare – not to mention an audience dying for seconds.

Janet Branagan

DVD version:

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Directed by Maria Ripoll
Stars Hector Elizondo, Jacqueline Obradors, Tamara Mello, Constance Marie, Paul Rodriguez (I), Nikolai Kinski, Elizabeth Peña, Raquel Welch, Troy Ruptash, Ken Marino, Marisabel García, Julio Oscar Mechoso, Louis Crugnali, Joel Joan, Ulises Cuadra
Studio/distributor: Columbia TriStar