Woman on Top

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Woman on Top ★★½ 2000 (R)

Mildly amusing romantic comedy that's held together by the charm of its lead. Beautiful Brazilian Isabella (Cruz) suffers from extreme motion sickness, which means she must always be in control. She's a whiz in the kitchen and her talents make her husband's (Benicio) restaurant a big success. But Izzie takes off for San Francisco when she discovers Toninho with another gal. Thanks to her culinary skills (and some magical realism), Isabella soon has her own cable cooking show and men (literally) falling at her feet. First there's “Like Water for Chocolate,” then there's “Simply Irresistible,” and now “Woman” completes the trifecta of food overwhelming the emotions. 93m/C VHS, DVD . Penelope Cruz, Harold Perrineau Jr., Mark Feuerstein, Murilo Benicio, John de Lancie; D: Fina Torres; W: Vera Blasi; C: Thierry Arbogast; M: Luis Bacalov.