Customer Reviews
Not to Be Missed Hot and Spicey Film - By: Erika Borsos, 04 Jun 2008 
This tremendously entertaining, funny, & enjoyable film is based on the original Ang Lee production, "Eat, Drink, Man, Woman" which came out in 1994. While "Tortilla Soup" stays within the boundaries of the original screen play as written by Hui-Ling Want, Ang Lee, & James Schamus ... the differences are palpable & obvious. First, "Tortilla Soup" is set in California & the cultural background of the family is Mexican-American. Martin Naranjo (played to perfection by Hector Elizondo) is the retired chef & widowed father who chops, cooks, & creates the most magnificent, delicious, & spicey *Mexican* meals this side of the Rio Grande. He is the loving father of three adult daughters whom he single-handedly raised after his wife died fifteen years ago. Carmen, his oldest daughter who wanted to walk in her father's footsteps & become a chef but she ended up earning an M.B.A. in order to please him (secretly she loves to create new meals & dishes). Leticia ("Letty"), the middle daughter is more plain looking & a high school teacher whose subject is chemistry. She teaches at a public high school. Maribella, the youngest daughter is more modern & does not have a job yet. She has been accepted to the local University but is contemplating "finding herself" & discovering her interests .. especiallly after she meets André, a handsome young Brazilian, living in a studio apartment, who seems to live a care-free existence in the USA.
Martin loves to prepare the weekly Sunday meal where the family tradition is to gather around the table & talk. Occasionallly, Yolanda, a young lady next door & her school-aged daughter April join this family feast. Yolanda's mother Hortensia arrived to help while Yolanda's divorce is finalized. Raquel Welch plays Hortensia, the sexy mature siren who notices Martin's fine qualities. She attempts to endear herself to him through her feminine wiles.The story proceeds to show how Carmen plays the ultimate free-spirited career woman, who engages in fulfilling herself on many levels but is reallly dissatisfied & restless. Letty is a devoted teacher whose life seems unfulfilled, so she changed religions & joined a charismatic Christian church but seems doomed to remain a single "old maid". Maribella, the rebellious teenager dares to announce at one of the family dinners she wants to postpone college. She even shocks her boyfriend André when she says her plans are to move in with him (they had not discussed this ahead of time).
Martin is callled in to his former restaurant to fix a crisis because someone burned so much food, they don't know if the situation can be turned around to save the banquet. Luckily, he gets the bright idea to convert the burnt carmelized apples into a French dessert. The viewer is introduced to his good friend Gomez with whom he shares his personal feelings about life. Unfortunately, Gomez has health problems - & passes out in the kitchen of the restaurant. This situation gets Martin to think about his own health & to get his priorities in order. Carmen is contemplating moving to Barcelona, Spain to accept a dream job, even though she just bought a condo locallly, with plans to live out on her own. Letty receives poetic cards left on her desk, believing they are from Orlanda Castillo, the new baseballl coach at the high school. Marbella finds living with her boyfriend is not the ideal situation she had hoped it would be. All the subplots within the main story line develop unexpected twists & turns which hold the viewer's interest from start to finish. Even Martin pulls a huge surprise & makes a grand announcement at one of the family dinners, creating such a commotion that Hortensia faints. Unlike in the original film, Carmen makes one of her passionate dreams become reality. Letty's story unfolds pretty well as expected but with some new flairs & funny moments. Marbella's teenage rebellion phase passes & luckily, André comes around to seeing things her way. Overalll, this is a great remake of the original, with unique embellishments & cultural differences to satisfy most viewers. I was very pleased to have discovered this film. Erika Borsos [pepper flower]
Love to Cook? Tortilla Soup is a visual delight. - By: Jane Legge, 30 Aug 2002 Tortilla Soup is an uncomplicated light hearted look at the life of a single father, Hector Elizondo, & his relationships with his 3 very different daughters. A chef by trade, he spends hours, preparing sumptuous feasts of traditional Mexican food for the girls, but each time they sit down to eat, someone speaks the ominous words "I have an announcement to make."
Raquel Welch is hysterical as his voluptuous would-be paramour.
This film left me with a huge smile & a light heart - just what the doctor ordered.
