Episode 139 - Simply Irresistible

[Smigg 1488]

 

No, SMG said a good sex thought takes 20 minutes. What?! Ain't nobody got time for that.

 

Yeah, that's like watching a porno, and actually watching the part where the sink breaks, and calling the plumber, and all of that before they get to the fucking.

[tomspanks 9039]

Lol no I'm all for anyone bringing up any bull shit in these movies!

 

I was gonna totally bring up that I was way more attracted to Sous Chef Nolan than Sean Patrick Flannery the whole movie. Not that SPF isn't a good looking guy that I would go out with, but Nolan was a way more interesting character and seemed to actually give a shit about SMG's life and personality.

 

I think I would have more fun hanging out with crab than SPF.

 

Did anyone notice Drew Nieporent's cameo? Who was the man at Jonathan's who recited a poem?

[FisterRoboto 7499]

Forum poll:

 

Sucking on fingers: hot or gross? Go!

[pscudese 701]

We all agree that this movie is nuts, but one of my favorite dialogues was this...

 

 

I'm sorry, but does SMG not understand how elevators work? I have lived in NYC for most of my life and outside of a couple of HUGE skyscrapers that have certain elevators that go to a certain range of floors... those in department stores are run-of-the-mill, standard elevators that do in fact... GO. TO. EVERY. FLOOR.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Forum poll:

 

Sucking on fingers: hot or gross? Go!

 

[M.ScottAnderson 2]

I can confirm that the original title was Vanilla Fog not Frog because of the Vanilla Fog they do it in. And I would argue that it is the better title of this movie. I even remember having copies of Entertainment Weekly with photos showing Sarah Michelle Gellar working on her upcoming movie Vanilla Fog.

[DanEngler 5249]

As stated above, Not Dan Aykroyd is there because it is, in his words, "absolutely necessary." I find it incredibly hard to believe that God would send a Heavenly envoy to Earth because it was "absolutely necessary" that SMG's restaurant stays open and that she bangs some douchebag. Obviously, there has to be a greater cosmic significance to it. Do they need to be together so SMG will give birth to the Messiah?

Obviously, this movie exists in the same cinematic universe as The Devil's Advocate, wherein Satan grooms Keanu Reeves to sire the Antichrist. The crab is a red herring; Sarah Michelle Gellar has possessed latent Slayer cooking powers all along*, but her talent must be fostered by Heaven as Armageddon approaches. The final battle for the souls of mankind comes down to Kevin Lomax Jr.'s greasy silver-tongued lawyering versus Amanda Shelton's earnest lovecraft.

 

* Inherited from her mother, whose family has been trying to raise Heaven's champion for 70 YEARS

[pscudese 701]

Personally I thought all the cuisines looked quite elegant, but laughed my ass off that the very last meal we are presented.

 

An Apple?!

 

 

I get that it was baked and stuffed, however when we as an audience are first presented the plate... we are not aware of that.

 

I felt like the food stylist on set just had a mental breakdown on the last day and said, "Fuck It. You get an apple and that's it." Or maybe the food stylist was the actual French chef in the movie and him walking off set is really happening during the course of filming. This in turn leaves the producers with a half designed plate and their only solution is to put an apple on it.

 

Finally... Is the use of an apple some type of nod from the writers to Snow White?

[Cameron H. 23786]

To address something they brought up in the episode, not only was it bold that she demands expensive plates from his place of employment, but she does so after wrecking an entire display of cologne at his store! There is no way that her cheap “mismatched” plates cost anywhere near the merchandise he might be selling at his store, and once she destroys that display, there is nothing to stop him from saying, “Not only do I think we’re now even, I think you may actually owe me some money…”

[AmberMarieNeary 0]

When Amanda is in the farmer's market and the salesman shows up to sell her the crab, my first note was, "crab genie." His name turns out to be Gene O'Reilly...weird. Also, he babbles observations about Valderon at the market.

 

I had another moment of feeling hinky when the sous chef Francois feeds the crab some of the vanilla filling, gross.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

To address something they brought up in the episode, not only was it bold that she demands expensive plates from his place of employment, but she does so after wrecking an entire display of cologne at his store! There is no way that her cheap “mismatched” plates cost anywhere near the flatware he might be selling at his store, and once she destroys that display, there is nothing to stop him from saying, “Not only do I think we’re now even, I think you may actually owe me some money…”

Speaking of the plates, they didn't really look like something that would be used in that kind of restaurant. Or any restaurant. They look like the kind of plates that old ladies hang on the wall.

[pscudese 701]

Okay... So I am very, very "upset" that the group missed exploring one of the best comments of June.

 

Everyone needs to go back and listen to around 19:20 and you'll hear June say,

 

"I would argue that he Dan Akroyd character in the beginning was Southern-ish, as is the crab."

 

I'm sorry. "As is the crab?"

 

What?!?!?! We need closure on this!

 

I love you June!!!!!!

[paultab 225]

The crab that stayed on her shelf and gave her powers was one of a bucket-full, right? She used the other crabs to make the Crab Napolean.

 

I'm thinking that's the same crab that tried to run away at the beginning of the movie.

 

I'm also thinking that crab had the right idea: RUN AWAY FROM THIS MOVIE.

[JoelSchlosberg 352]

It is mentioned that SMG isn't in glasses to make her look less attractive by romcom standards, but why don't they use the other half of the cliche, having her hair up so she can let it down? When she says that her rival has better hair it is unclear not only why it's so much better, but what the difference is supposed to be, with both in the general "shoulder length straight" category (not to mention they both seem very much dated to the decade of The Rachel in retrospect). The most cliched "ugly hairstyle" is a bob, which would contrast as the opposite of a let-it-hang-down style.

 

And was there a purpose in having SMG's hair be an unnatural color? The "red hair that cannot be confused with natural redhead hair" is very reminiscent of Rachael Leigh Cook's hair in Josie and the Pussycats, but that was all of a piece with its movie's satirical amped-up artificiality.

[FisterRoboto 7499]

And was there a purpose in having SMG's hair be an unnatural color? The "red hair that cannot be confused with natural redhead hair" is very reminiscent of Rachael Leigh Cook's hair in Josie and the Pussycats, but that was all of a piece with its movie's satirical amped-up artificiality.

The purpose was called "the late 90s." This was a pretty common hair color/style at the time.

[Cameron H. 23786]

Here are a couple of issues I had at the end of the movie.

 

Jason mentioned how ridiculous it was that she couldn't hear him shout her name and how the window was open on the cab for the paper airplane, what he didn't bring up was how pointless this scene was anyway. He KNOWS where she lives! He fucked her on the floor of her kitchen! It's not like she's skipping town! Just hop in a cab and go meet her there. Unless the main journey of the movie was actually supposed to be about his making the perfect paper airplane, there was absolutely no reason for that big dramatic moment. And if the big moment in your moment Rom-Com amounts to, "I can fly paper airplanes good!" then, I'm sorry, but you failed at screenwriting.

 

The second moment that was absolutely bonkers was just after the crazy paper airplane scene. She goes back into the store and sees a mannequin with the note "Wear me" on it (Barf). So she puts on this dress and meets him, and wonder of wonders, her hair is all done up in an elaborate bun and her makeup is perfect! Excuse me, I thought she was working all night? As anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant kitchen will tell you, after a couple of hours, you are just a sweaty, greasy mess. I mean, I get the dress. That's fine--easy to do, but who the fuck did her hair and makeup? Was it the crab? I bet it was the crab...

[faye-raye 109]

One thing I noticed. They said the restaurant was opened by her mother 70 years ago. SMG looks to be what, let's be cruel, mid 30's. Even if her mother had her late, again say 35, that would make her mother somewhere between 65 and 70 at the time of the film. Are they saying her mother open and ran a restaurant from infancy? Or was it SMG's grandparents place and her mum took it over? If so why to have her say 'this place's been in my family for three generations' I would certainly add to the magic/cooking in the blood theme. Or is her mum a witch and was much older than 70 a la Bewitched and therefore that was what gave her magic?

[GiveMeYourBaby 102]

All hail our crustacean saviors.

[NathanGordon 1096]

Oh Cameron you stole my "this week in feminism in shitty movies" topic right out of my mouth!

 

She had said maybe all of three words to Amanda Peet's character and then immediately started going into how she "hates girls like her"; Pray tell Miss SMG, what kind of girl is she? Do you even know who the fuck she is? Or are you just as shallow as you claim this guy to be for dating her in the first place.

Yes, this bothered me so much! Why is Amanda Peet such a horrible person that she doesn't deserve a boyfriend? Why does the magic crab take that away from her? Bad romantic comedies do this thing where the two lead's romantic love is at the expense of everyone else; in reality this would be incredibly selfish behavior.

 

The film totally drops Amanda Peet after the argument in the restaurant (which, again, is caused by magic and not her own actions), except for a brief mention of "oh, she's probably fine." What if she isn't? What if she's drinking herself to death alone in her apartment? What if this breakup pushed her over the edge into a crippling depression?

[tomspanks 9039]

Forum poll:

 

Sucking on fingers: hot or gross? Go!

 

So hot.

 

[NathanGordon 1096]

All hail our crustacean saviors.

but gastropods aren't crustaceans :/

 

[HotSaucerman 2051]

Good lord, this movie is a huge piece of shit. Really had trouble finishing it.

[Let'sAllGoToTheWindow! 75]

Another thing that bothered me about the end... When SMG's food is killing it at the fancy restaurant and a customer comes up to SPF and his boss, he congratulates the original chef for his work having no idea he upped and quit earlier in the day, AND NEITHER SPF OR HIS BOSS SAY ANYTHING!!! They don't correct him or nothing. You'd think this would cause some conflict later but, nope. Just another loose thread that goes nowhere.

 

"Just gonna thro my magical food making ex under the bus cause the dumb broad made me float a little. You know, cause it's a romance!"

[tomspanks 9039]

I'm sorry, but does SMG not understand how elevators work? I have lived in NYC for most of my life and outside of a couple of HUGE skyscrapers that have certain elevators that go to a certain range of floors... those in department stores are run-of-the-mill, standard elevators that do in fact... GO. TO. EVERY. FLOOR.

 

Maybe they were setting up for the end, where SMG coming down from the stairs (on her way to the cab) just misses SPF going into the elevator? If she had learned how to take the elevator, SMG and SPF could have met at the elevator. But then again, we would've missed out on the amazing paper airplane scene.

[Auden 1809]

Forum poll:

 

Sucking on fingers: hot or gross? Go!

Hot. As long as there's no slobbering.

 

It's been a long time since I'd read "Like Water for Chocolate" and watched its adaptation, but I vaguely remember the book and the movie being, ahem, absorbing.

 

I think "Simply Irresistible" came at the tail end of the trend where filmmakers explored the sensuality in food in movies like "Tampopo", "Chocolat", "Woman on Top" and of couse "LWfC".