Why you can trust GamesRadar+
The phrase `feelgood German cinema' sounds like a contradiction in terms, but this likeable romantic comedy proves to be an exception.
Martha (Martina Gedeck) is a single, thirtysomething chef so dedicated to her work at a ritzy Hamburg eaterie she has no time for a life. That all changes when she's forced to take care of her eight-year-old niece (Maxime Foerste) after a car crash does away with her mum. To make matters worse, Martha's boss hires a flamboyant Italian cook (Sergio Castellitto) who brings gnocchi and nookie into her impeccably disciplined kitchen.
Writer/director Sandra Nettelbeck keeps the romantic tension simmering and seasons her movie witha talented cast, but Mostly Martha's predictability means it never comes to the boil. Pairing her testy heroine with a cute kid is the biggest yawn, regardless of the quality of the performances, and the endless procession of mouth-watering dishes recalls such recent dramas as Big Night and Dinner Rush. Forget you've seen it all before, though, and Martha proves a tasty, if hardly filling, morsel.
The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.
This Steam Next Fest RPG gem paying tribute to classics like Ultima and D&D is like one big Skyrim dungeon but 10 times more elaborate
Tom Holland joins Matt Damon in Christopher Nolan's next mysterious film – which is rumored to be a 1920s vampire horror movie
This Steam Next Fest action-RPG is a delightful throwback to '90s anime and SNES classics, even if it is also marketing for a much bigger and hornier deckbuilder JRPG