Tortilla Soup

Director: Maria Ripoll
(2001)

Ang Lee’s heartwarming film Eat Drink Man Woman is successfully translated into Spanglish in Maria Ripoll’s delightful remake about a Latin American widowed chef losing his sense of taste and smell who is devoted to his three very different adult daughters. Over the course of the film, the women and their father alternately make announcements over traditional family dinners that challenge their old-fashioned home life. Warm, appetite-inducing and lovable, this film works just as well as a remake as it did for Lee and the novelty of a father looking after his three daughters in two cultures known for their male favored societies is fresh and engaging and the performances win us over completely. Elizabeth Peña and Hector Elizondo steal every scene they’re in—-surprising fun and one to watch with the whole family. You may just end up calling your parents and inviting yourself over for dinner after the credits are rolled… but make sure the menu is Mexican since you’ll definitely be craving it!