As a movie, “Simply Irresistible” has very little to recommend it - it’s essentially a romantic comedy with a little bit of magic tossed in. Amanda is the chef at a restaurant which is slowly going out of business - until the day she meets Tom, buys a bucket full of magic crabs, and suddenly finds an improvement in her previously non-existent cooking skills. As the restaurant slowly fills up once again, she finds herself more and more drawn to Tom, and all seems to be going well - until the night they kiss and find themselves floating atop a cloud of fog. Tom, scared out of his wits by this evidence of magic at work, flees, and it’s up to Amanda to win back his heart - and stomach - by whipping up something exotic for the opening of his new restaurant.
Obviously, since this is a feel-good romantic comedy, you shouldn’t pay too much attention to the plot; as with all fairy tales, you know how it’s going to end before you begin the movie. As Amanda, Sarah Michelle Gellar [who plays Buffy in TV’s “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”] is very watchable, while her erstwhile Galahad is not. There’s also a great supporting performance by Amanda’s sous-chef, who runs away with some of the movie’s best lines, and there are also some truly hilarious scenes - as well as some truly execrable ones. Adolescents will like it; adults might prefer to spend their money on something a little more…adult.
This article was first published on 05 Apr 2000.