Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful film, but fire the translators
Review: This film was wonderfully done. Moving, beautifully shot and acted, the story was thoroughly enjoyed, but the DVD has a serious flaw for those unable to follow german dialog. The English subtitling often fails. It isn't merely a problem of words lost in translation, but the entire translation going missing. Frequently, lines and lines of major dialog went by with absolutely no translation ever appearing as subtitles. Sprechen Sie keine Deutsch und vielen interessantes weissen sie nicht! Thankfully we could make out most of the untranslated dialog, but the authoring effort for the subtitles was well subpar. I'd still recommend the film, but more is lost than usual in translation.
Rating: 
Summary: Above Average Food Movie
Review: This is not quite as emotionally gratifying as such food movie classics like "Babette's Feast" or "Big Night", but it will certainly please it's select audience.
The characters are interesting, and the acting is great, though I found the script to be a bit weak.
This is a character based movie about Martha, a well respected chef in Germany, but with many issues. She is obsessed with small details, as most Germans are, and stubbornly argues with her few guests who dare critize her work. She then is introduced to a jovial, middle aged Italian Cook, who ends up having quite an effect on her life.
Again, all food movie lovers will appreciate this one, just don't expect to be "wowed"
Rating:
Summary: minimlist dvd of a charming movie
Review: MArtha is a control-freak German chef. She runs her kitchen and her life with discipline and little joy, until her orphaned niece comes to live with her and a new chef is added to the staff, and Martha's life is suddenly no longer under control at all. There are also funny scenes with Martha's therapist and neighbor, and the acting is superb throughout. This is a funny film but also concerned with questions of happiness, family and connecting with others.This is a bare bones dvd, unfortunately -- not even a trailer. The film can be eard in German with optional English subtitles.
Rating:
Summary: minimlist dvd of a charming movie
Review: Martha is a control-freak German chef. She runs her kitchen and her life with discipline, though little joy, until her orphaned niece comes to live with her and a new chef is added to the staff,. Suddenly Martha's life is no longer under control at all. The dialogue is well-written and scenes with Martha's therapist and neighbor, minor characters, are as funny as those between principles. The acting is superb throughout, and though the plot is predictable, this is still an entertaining film concerned with questions of happiness, family and connecting with others. This is a bare bones dvd, unfortunately -- not even a trailer. The film can be heard in German with optional English subtitles.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Martha: Warm-Hearted Drama from Germany
Review: After watching recent hyper-energy German films like "Run Lola Run" and "The Bandits" (not to be confused with Bruno's) it is almost unbelievable that "Mostly Martha," tender and affectionate film, comes from Germany. Though "Martha" is as predictable as any light-weight romantic drama in Hollywood, and you will not see red-haired Lola running wildly on the streets of Berlin, you will still be enchanted by the film as well. Martha is, according to her employer's words, "the second best" chef in Hamburg, Germany; she carefully prepares every details in "her" kitchen. She always cooks her food perfectly, and she is proud of that. But perhaps too careful because when she goes to the therapist, all she talks about is about cuisines. Then an orphaned girl Lina, daughter of her sister, lands at her door, but because of the recent shock she received, Lina closes her heart, refusing to eat anything. Moreover, another uninvited person barges into her life: an Italian chef Mario, who is newly hired in "her" kitchen, and he likes to sing along with a tape of Dean Martin song. Does Martha come to like them? understanding that there's another way of life? You know the answer for sure. But the predictable plot does not mean that "Mostly Martha" is mostly uninteresting. Not at all. Martha's complex relations with Lina is a credible one, and Martina Gedeck's fine performance as her greatly helps. You may say that the images of Italian male Mario is not surprising at all -- fun-loving and outgoing -- rather clithe; but Sergio Castellitto, a famous Italian actor (in "The Great Pumpkin" and "The Star Maker") is engaging enough for us to sustain our interest in those characters. Ultimately, the film is about this person Martha, and as far as that goes, the film is excellent. The contrast between cold Germany and warm Italy is no news (and actually, the northern part of Italy is very cold in winter). However, just like the film's quirky music, the borderline gradually melts away, and you will find a very warm place in this German city, and Martha's heart. And the images you have about those German people might undergo a little change, too.
Rating:
Summary: You mean food isn't everything?
Review: MOSTLY MARTHA isn't about Martha S. But, if the shoe fits ... In this case, Martha is Martha Klein (Martina Gedeck), a supremely talented chef, who lords over the kitchen of the Lido, an upscale Hamburg restaurant. Martha is so obsessed with food preparation and presentation that she'll confront any customer that sends her creations back to the kitchen. Because Martha is "the second best" chef in the city, the Lido's owner, Frida (Sibylle Canonica), refrains from firing Klein, but has demanded that she see a therapist. On the shrink's couch, Martha talks only of recipes. Over his objections, she even prepares meals for him to eat at his desk. Martha's regimented life is disrupted when her sister, a single mother, perishes in an auto accident. Martha is left to care for Lina (Maxine Foerste), her 8-year old niece, while attempting to contact Giuseppe, the girl's father living somewhere in Italy. In the meantime, Frida hires another chef, Mario (Sergio Castellitto), to augment her kitchen staff. Mario's free and easy personality is the antithesis of Martha the Control Freak. Martha finds her life spinning into chaos, especially when it becomes apparent that she's failing miserably as a surrogate Mom to Lina, who remains depressed over her mother's death and so passively hostile that she won't even eat the perfectly prepared and arranged dishes that Martha sets before her. Had MOSTLY MARTHA been made in Tinseltown, it would've inevitably starred Meg Ryan as Martha, Tom Hanks as Mario, and some adorable child star as the incorrigible Lina. The characters of this German production are all eminently likeable and credible, and they concoct a just-right mix of comedy and drama that perhaps wouldn't have been achieved in an American version. While the ending is also eminently predictable, the filmscript, which assigns Martha a (cinematically) unusual profession and places much of the action inside the choreographed frenzy of the Lido's kitchen, is clever enough to elevate the movie, in my opinion, above three stars. I heartily recommend this charmer if you like to cook, frequently eat in high-end restaurants, and/or enjoy films with a cosmopolitan, European ambience.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully Enjoyable Film
Review: _Mostly Martha_ is a top-rate film: wonderful story, great acting, and a superb soundtrack. The story revolves around a reputable chef, Martha, and how her life changes when her sister tragically dies, and she must take care of her young niece, Lina. The two have many problems in the beginning: both are grieving the death, and both are being forced into an unknown situations. After failed babysitting attempts, Lina starts to come to the restaurant with Martha. With the help of another chef, Mario, and his wonderful food creations, Martha and Lina become closer (as do Mario and Martha...) Food plays a major role in this film, many scenes are shot in the kitchen, and still others are spent describing luscious recipes. The actors were superb in their roles, and really made the film. The characters of Martha and Lina developed nicely as the movie progressed, and Mario's role was comedic and genuine...A great performance by all! Of special note: The soundtrack features the wonderful "Via con me" by Paolo Conte. You may find yourself humming/whistling it for days! _Mostly Martha_ was a highly enjoyable film, and I recommend it for all epicureans, and anyone who enjoys a great story.
Rating:
Summary: Above Average Food Movie
Review: This is not quite as emotionally gratifying as such food movie classics like "Babette's Feast" or "Big Night", but it will certainly please it's select audience.
The characters are interesting, and the acting is great, though I found the script to be a bit weak.
This is a character based movie about Martha, a well respected chef in Germany, but with many issues. She is obsessed with small details, as most Germans are, and stubbornly argues with her few guests who dare critize her work. She then is introduced to a jovial, middle aged Italian Cook, who ends up having quite an effect on her life.
Again, all food movie lovers will appreciate this one, just don't expect to be "wowed"
Rating:
Summary: Mostly Martha is Mostly Magnificent
Review: I thought that "Mostly Martha" (other titles include: "Drei Sterne", and "Bella Martha") was outstanding. It showed well rounded characters, an interesting plot, a happy (though not suprising) end, and was an all around successful endeavor in film-making. I give this movie two thumbs up and suggest that everyone interested in seeing a really good film should see "Mostly Martha". Bono Appetite!
Rating:
Summary: A food movie about people.
Review: Bella Martha is a remarkable food movie in an uncommon way. While you're not going to come away from it quite as hungry as many others, because it doesn't focus visually on the food, it's remarkable in its characterization of restaurant people. Martha is neurotic in many ways that overlap with chefs I've worked under: the OCD, the not eating, the awkward people skills. So if what you're looking for in a 'food movie' is mouth-watering shots of the food, this isn't it, but the characters are remarkable, and it's a great story as well. Unfortunately, as a German-speaking friend I watched it with told me, the subtitles are kinda crap. But it's not the minutiae of the plot that makes this movie good, though the overall writing is excellent.
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