Director Maria Ripoll has brought the Chinese film into the mainstream with a
modern tale set in Los Angeles. Tortilla Soup is easily as accomplished as
its predecessor. The comedy is spontaneous and relaxed, the drama is
finely-tuned, and the plot is seasoned with unexpected litte twists.
Mexican-American master chef Martin Naranjo (Hector Elizondo) is living in LA
rasing his three daughters. Tortilla Soup opens with a beautifully
choreographed scene where Martin is preparing Sunday dinner for his family.
For the Naranjo family, the ritual is the Sunday dinner... at each dinner the
family comes together and then something happens that pushes them farther
apart. It is a time for announcements, a time to share ideas, to air basic
frustrations and to critique Martin's cooking because he is losing his sense
of taste and smell. Outside the Sunday dinner, each family lives their
own life. Martin works in a restaurant and entertains the pushy, loud and
oft-divorced mother (Raquel Welch) of his close friend and neighbor
(Constance Marie). His youngest daughter, Maribel (Tamara Mello) debates
whether to go to college. The middle daughter, Carmen (Jacqueline Obradors)
is a headstrong, forthright business executive trying to balance her career
choice with her real passion for cooking. The eldest, Leticia (Elizabeth
Pena) is a prim school teacher who wants nothing more than find love and be
happy. However, she has insulated herself from passion with religious
fervor, but when she meets the school's new baseball coach (Paul Rodriquez)
her slumbering inner-self starts to stir.
The perfectly-proportioned measures of comedy and drama emerge through
character interaction, not as a result of contrived situations and silly
one-liners. Hector Elizondo produces a magnificent performance in the role
of Martin. A down to earth father providing for his family, dealing with the
unexpected and tragic in an inclusive and stoic fashion. The problems faced
by the Naranjo family happen all around the world, and the difficulty of
communicating across the generation gap is something almost everyone has
experienced at one time or another. Love, especially that of Martin for his
daughters, often goes unspoken, but is expressed in his cooking. Food is as
much a backdrop as a recurring symbol. Martin's failing taste buds parallel
his loss for the zest for life. Nevertheless, Tortilla Soup could perhaps be
frustrating to any who view it on an empty stomach.
Tortilla is basted in its own wonderfully seasoned juices. Martin may have
lost his taste, but director Maria Ripoll has definitely not. This movie
provides one of the year's most sincere views of family dynamics. Dealing
with subjects that could easily have emerged half-baked, Ripoll and the cast
instead apply their talent and come up with a dish cooked to perfection.
Tortilla Soup will appeal to an universal appetitie for stories that are rich
and warm as they are flavorful.
Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 4)