Mostly Martha

Theatrical Release Date: 2002 08 16 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 097363408048

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Adult Situations, Adult Language]

Summary: Sandra Nettelbeck spins this gentle drama about how a child's presence can change the lives of the most shy and career-minded of adults. Martha (Martina Gedeck) is the chef of a popular Hamburg eatery who fusses and obsesses over each dish before it leaves the kitchen. The demands of her job and her natural shyness keep her from breaking out of her routine to meet new people. When her sister suddenly dies in a car accident, Martha adopts Lina, her eight-year-old niece. Martha's life soon completely changes -- not only must she adjust herself to new parental role, but she must help Lina deal with her grief over the loss of her mother. Martha gets unexpected help from Mario, Martha's hunky new sous chef, who is not only a whiz on the chopping block but knows sundry magic tricks and jokes to keep Lina's spirits afloat. Just as Martha starts to grow attached to the girl, however, the possibility of Lina returning to the custody of her father arises. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Best European Actor – European Film Academy

Features: Widescreen version enhanced for 16x9 TVs
Dolby Digital German 5.1 surround
English subtitles

Mostly Martha

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 02/18/2003

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1

Runtime: 106 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) German

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
1. Therapy [:21]
2. Tragedy [:10]
3. Grief [:32]
4. Moving In [4:27]
5. Adjustments [3:48]
6. "Okay, I'll Stay" [4:34]
7. Babysitters [3:17]
8. Parenting [4:39]
9. Dinner Party [3:50]
10. Truancy [3:58]
11. Runaway [2:52]
12. Blind Tasting [4:56]
13. To Italy [3:41]
14. A New Life [4:18]

Todd Kristel

Mostly Martha is mostly a formulaic movie characterized by an anonymous style and a paucity of orignal ideas. The German chef, Martha, is an uptight control freak; the Italian chef, Mario, is a charming and comparatively sensuous extrovert; the eight-year-old niece, Lina, forces Martha to get in touch with her maternal feelings; and the movie, unfortunately, seems to imply that Martha's workaholic tendencies are inherently unfeminine. On the positive side, Martina Gedeck does a fine job with her role and makes her character seem like more than just a cardboard cutout, even though the script sometimes treats her that way. Credit must be given to Gedeck and writer-director Sandra Nettelback for knowing when Martha should and should not be demonstrative, and thus knowing when it's best for Gedeck to underplay her role (e.g., an affecting scene in which Martha reacts to an important phone call at work). Unfortunately, this awareness doesn't extend to Mario, perhaps because there is little to his personality beyond his demonstrativeness; also, unfortunately, the film doesn't have enough positive traits to compensate for the conventional story. But if originality isn't your top priority and you want to see a little bit of romance, a lot of food, and some tearjerking drama, then you might find this movie satisfying. ~ Todd Kristel, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Karl Baumgartener  Producer 
Sandra Nettelbeck  Director 
Sandra Nettelbeck  Screenwriter 
Christoph Friedel  Producer 
Martina Gedeck  Actor 
Sergio Castellitto  Actor 
Maxime Foerste  Actor 
August Zirner  Actor 
Ulrich Thomsen  Actor 
Sibylle Canonica  Actor 
Katja Studt  Actor 
Idil Uner  Actor 
Oliver Broumis  Actor 
Antonio Wannek  Actor 
Diego Ribon  Actor 

Country: Germany,Italy,Switzerland,Austria