Tortilla Soup

A master chef (Hector Elizondo) and his three daughters (Jacqueline Obradors, Elizabeth Pena, Tamara Mello) undergo an assortment of domestic and romantic complications. Director Maria Ripoll and writers Ramon Menendez, Tom Musca, and Vera Blasi transplant Ang Lee’s 1994 Eat Drink Man Woman from Taipei to Latino L.A. with flawless results — managing, against all odds, to make a charming and delightful film even better. The script streamlines and simplifies the story, Ripoll’s direction is deft, and the ensemble cast is first-rate (Elizondo and Pena are standouts, and there’s a comical turn by Raquel Welch as a woman with her eye on Elizondo). Honorable mention to Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, who designed the mouth-watering food displays — do not see this movie on an empty stomach.