Simply Irresistible

Simply Irresistible follows Sarah Michelle Gellar’s fledgling chef Amanda Shelton as she’s surreptitiously given a magical crab by a mysterious stranger (Christopher Durang’s Gene O’Reilly), with the narrative detailing the degree to which said magical crab improves Amanda’s cooking skills and helps her win the heart of a calculating businessman (Sean Patrick Flanery’s Tom Bartlett). It’s clear fairly early on that Mark Tarlov, working from Judith Roberts’ screenplay, is looking to cultivate the atmosphere of an effervescent, fairy tale-like romantic comedy, and although there are admittedly certain elements here that work (Gellar’s winning performance, primarily), Simply Irresistible mostly comes off as a silly and completely forgettable piece of work that is, more often than not, trying way, way too hard to make a bubbly impact. At the core of the picture’s various problems is an almost total lack of chemistry between Gellar and Flanery’s respective characters, with this vibe undoubtedly heightened and perpetuated by Flanery’s less-than-leading-man-worthy turn as the twitchy love interest. There’s little doubt, then, that the ongoing (and increasing) emphasis on the crab’s various enchantment spells (eg kissing characters float to the ceiling) are hardly able to pack the romantic punch clearly intended, and it goes without saying, ultimately, that Simply Irresistible feels like a well-intentioned endeavor that fails in virtually every realm it attempts.

*1/2 out of ****