Don't be surprised if you leave "Mostly Martha" craving something more.
Which is not to say that the movie is distasteful, mind you. But the numerous cooking scenes — showing the preparation and eating of what appears to be a variety of sumptuous dishes — create a hunger for something even this sweet-natured little German import can't completely sate.
Cinematically, this low-key comedy-drama is a pretty filling dish. It's well-acted, its humor is well-placed and even its more sentimental scenes aren't as sickeningly goopy as they surely would have been if the film had come from a major studio.
(One can only imagine how cloying and artificial a Hollywood version of this story, starring someone like, say, Julia Roberts, would be.)
The title character is Martha Klein (Martina Gedeck), a perfectionistic chef at a trendy German restaurant. Work keeps the thirtysomething so busy and stressed-out that she barely has time to breathe, much less take care of a child.
Yet she finds herself in that position when her sister dies suddenly, leaving this somewhat neurotic mess in charge of Lina (Maxima Foerste), her 8-year-old niece.
But that's not the end of Martha's problems. There's also Mario (Sergio Castellitto), the new Italian sous-chef her boss hired to relieve some of her burden. As you can guess, the two cooks immediately butt heads.
Things continue to worsen, both at home and at work. Lina asks about her biological father, while Mario's contributions to the menu seem to be increasing.
Writer/director Sandra Nettelbeck has concocted a nice blend of drama and comedy, which never forces either down the throats of its audience.
Again, the film is well cast. Gedeck (a television star in her home country) helps flesh out her sometimes-underwritten character, and her sometimes-tenuous relationships with young Foerste's character is very believable.
And even though Castellitto sometimes has a tendency to go too far with his character roles (witness his showy supporting turn in last year's "Va Savoir"), here he's subdued and charismatic.
(Unfortunately, Nettelbeck seems to have forgotten about talented Danish actor Ulrich Thomsen, who is wasted in a go-nowhere role as Martha's downstairs neighbor.)
"Mostly Martha" is rated PG for scattered use of profanity and some mildly racy and suggestive sex talk, as well as a brief scene of violence (slapping). Running time: 105 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com