By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1 cat
Director: Dilip Mehta
Starring: Don McKellar | Lisa Ray | Maury Chaykin | Seema Biswas | Shirya Saran | Vansh Bhardwaj
Country: canada
Year: 2009
Running time: 104
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1479676/
Burce says: “The only explanations for this film going so wrong are the fact that it is in the wrong hands, the script is weak and the moral of the story is repugnant. COOKING WITH STELLA looks promising when Michael (Don McKellar) and Maya (Lisa Ray) arrive in Delhi where Maya will head the Canadian consulate. Maya may be of Indian heritage but she quickly discovers she is Canadian through and through. A chef by profession Michael is left to run the household and care for the baby. He is not pleased with his new role.
“The tightly gated Canadian residence is run by Stella (Seema Biswas). It doesn’t take long to realize Stella is a racketeer without peer. She steals from her employers and she extorts money from everyone who supplies the household, usually in the form of a fee for doing business with such a prestigious client. Stella a does not take well to the new arrivals largely because she has to train a new group of people to ‘look the other way’ as she robs them blind. Her relationship with Michael is contentious until he asks her to teach him how to cook Indian cuisine. In return he will share some of his favourite recipes with the staff. Stella starts out with a spicy mango salad and Michael is enchanted. He offers cooking classes to the diplomatic community only to discover that everyone sends their servants in their stead.
“Tannu (Shriya Saran), a new nanny who is hired for the baby, initially irritates Stella because she has high standards and appears above reproach. Tannu’s fortunes take a turn for the worse she is quickly corrupted by Stella. This becomes the entire focus of the film. The finale includes a kidnapping episode which is cleverly staged and has all the ingredients for a madcap romp; yet it falls flat on its face. The glee over the Indians who are the underdogs triumphing over the unworthy Canadians strikes a false note. Michael is clearly a decent man and Stella is nothing short of a shrewd criminal. It is possible that my lack of knowledge of the Indian culture precludes my understanding and enjoyment of COOKING WITH STELLA, however, the notion that corruption of innocence is cause for rejoicing and that chicanery deserves to triumph is particularly odious to me.
“It is a shame that Don McKellar and Lisa Ray have not been given much to do and that their importance in the film is reduced to such a low level in its second half. I’m not asking that the servants get less screen time but that the film have balance and continuity. 1 cat
“(COOKING WITH STELLA screened at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival.)”