Alas, this is one of those Hollywood copies that is perfectly decent in its acting and direction but hopelessly deficient in originality and any real flair.

Hie me to the vomitorium, it's a fantastically smug and boring movie about food and romance, pumped with artificial sweeteners.

There's not an unpredictable moment in Carol Fuchs's plodding, syrupy script; this dreadful remake of the moderately pleasing German film Mostly Martha is misconceived from start to finish.

[A]lthough it looks good on the outside and is somewhat palatable, the ingredients never quite reach a boiling point and the end result is undercooked, lacking spice and rather bland.