# Simply Irresistible (1999)

### reviewed by
LARRY MCGILLICUDDY

    Simply Irresistible (1999)
    Reviewed by Larry McGillicuddy

    *1/2 (of4)
    Directed by Mark Tarlov
    Starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sean Patrick Flanery, Patricia
    Clarkson, Dylan Baker

Simply Irresistible tries really hard to recapture the feel of an old- fashioned romantic fantasy. In fact, it tries too hard. The film wants to be soft, cuddly, and loveable, and succeeds only in being incredibly stupid. I'm usually kind to this sort of film, especially when there is a wonderfully charming lead performance such as Sarah Michelle Gellar delivers here. Unfortunately, her performance is comppletely wasted since the film does not provide her with a leading man that is a tenth as interesting as she is.

Gellar stars as Amanda, a chef at her small family restaraunt that is going out of business. One reason is that she can't cook very well at all. One day some guy gives her a crab (I'm not making this up), and all of a sudden crazy things begin to happen such as her food actually tasting great. People start flocking to her restaraunt and she has a hard time keeping up with all the customers.

Sean Patrick Flanery is an upper class businessman who is planning on opening his own restaraunt. He stops by Amanda's one day and is entranced by the food, eventhough his girlfriend breaks up with him at the same time. Amanda is instantly attracted to him and they begin to fall for one another. This is helped by the magic of the food, which creates a thick vanilla fog, and has them floating off the ground.

Flanery's character is one of the most confusing leading men in a romantic comedy in quite some time. At first he loves the fact that they are rolling around kissing in the vanilla fog. When they start to float, it's too much for him. He claims that he wants to be in control of his own destiny, and refuses to be with her alone again. Whenever she tries to get near him, he shouts at her and calls her a witch, like he's in Salem or something. What the hell is this guy's problem? Who wouldn't want to roll around and kiss Sarah Michelle Gellar in thick vanilla fog? Who wouldn't want to be holding her as the two of you float off the ground? It doesn't help that Flanery has absolutely zero charisma. His character annoyed me so much at times I had to look away from the screen.

Surprisingly, the only other interesting performance comes from Patricia Clarkson, as Flanery's assistant. I very much disliked her annoyingly mannered performance in High Art. But here she strips away all the extra baggage and allows her natural personality to come through. I found her to be rather charming in a classy, sophisticated way. Clarkson and Gellar do their best to make this featherweight film palatable, but they receive very little help.

The film does have some nice photography. They sure got the look of a old-fashioned romance right. But the most important thing in any romance is chemistry, and despite Gellar's best efforts, there is none to speak of. Other than some nice photography and two fine performances, Simply Irresistible offers nothing for even the least discriminating of viewers.

Larry McGillicuddy - The Cinemaniac http://members.xoom.com/lmcgill/movpage.htm

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