Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
mraculeated The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.
Adeel Hail Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
MartinHafer "No Reservations" is a show I used to watch. However, I got tired of Anthony Bourdain and his snarky personality. If you like his acerbic and often insulting ways, you'll probably enjoy the show. If you don't like seeing his cultural insensitivity (they are almost too frequent to mention but would include nasty comments about ABBA to Swedes and his overbearing manner with the reserved Japanese) or his crass language, then you best watch Andrew Zimern or someone else. As for me, I could overlook his nasty persona for a while but after watching most of his episodes for a year or so, I just felt bored. After all, if you don't like a host, it's hard to sustain interest. A bit of charm and sensitivity, and I'd still be a fan.
PartialMovieViewer A very enjoyable host (even though half of the show is spent throwing Americans under the international bus) and his program is always worth a look (regardless whether he paints himself as the only GOOD American or not). The charm of 'No Reservations' leans heavily on Anthony's hubris - his haughtiness makes for fantastic entertainment. We get it, Americans don't know squat! I will say that this is definitely not a show I would use as a reference while traveling overseas. Could you imagine going into one of these places he visited and saying something like, 'I saw this on Tony's Show.' The reply may end up being something like, 'There is only ONE good American and you are not him – you ignorant pond-scum – I spit on you.' This is a show targeting an audience who wishes NOT to travel overseas. OK OK - Maybe I am going bit over-board and probably acting too mean (I guess 'No Reservations' is rubbing off a little). As an international traveler myself and one who has lived overseas, 'The Ugly American' is something witnessed very often and reflects disgustingly on the rest of us (yes Tony – there are actually other Americans who travel and are not making fools of ourselves). Oh and here is a bit of a cautionary note, 'The Ugly _______ (fill in the blank)' – shockingly - has worldwide applications AND is not limited to fellow Americans. Anyways - all-in-all the show is enjoyable and Mr. Bourdains' edgy presentation makes it very watchable. I know that I would miss this show very much if they ever pulled the plug on it and would miss Anthony's flippant demeanor even more. On a weekly basis I do tend to cringe at some of his thankless views of Americans but maybe that is part of his attraction. He is more than welcome in my home via TV – although - I do not think I could handle a face-to-face meeting.
Der_Schnibbler This guy is a real piece of work. An angry, immature boy in a grown man's body, packing all the charisma of a rock, he goes around to places most people would only wish to visit and does his best to be as miserable as possible.Give this job to someone else who actually appreciates it.I could go down an endless list of all the stupid things this guy does in his "episodes," though I'll just highlight the worst: Crete. While the locals are putting up seaside picnics in his "honour," this clown has the gall to act like a petulant, spoiled child. He complains about everything, including the fashion sense of the people who live there. What an imbecile.When he went to Sweden, he spent at least five minutes feigning incredulity at a bunch of chefs (who probably had better things to do than talk with some dimwit American, like work) because they didn't think Abba was horrible. Everywhere he went, he brought up Abba. This is the kind of talk you'd hear from 13-year-olds who watch too much MTV.When he was in New Orleans, he got upset that a certain restaurant had better-tasting fries than his, so he "accidentally" spilled some wine on them in order to ruin them. What a strange, emotionally unstable person.The worst of it all are his clumsy voice-overs, where he attempts in vain to add some kind of perspective on a situation he was too thick and ignorant to appreciate. He tries to use all these "big" words in order to sound like an author, but he's really just a pretentious hack whose lack of awareness has convinced him he has something to say. That, by the way, is probably the one good thing about this joker's TV show. It goes to show you, no matter how inept you are, as long as you take yourself seriously enough, the world will as well.Then there's the way he speaks with local guides whose English is obviously only rudimentary. He'll use vocabulary any writer--as he believes himself to be--would instinctively know will most likely not be understood by these people. Does he care? No. Self-important schmucks like this Bourdain clown do not use language to communicate; they use it to make themselves look important.Mcg13jthm's review on this same page is a perfect example of the kind of mind Bourdain attracts--that of a low IQ social misfit. Observe how the reviewer attempts to justify Bourdain's sociopath nature with simple-minded, childish excuses that hardly make sense. "Bourdain may complain but he goes through 'a lot' and, not only that, he was 'forced' to do this show but is trying to redeem himself." A dolt attracts dolts, and reading Mcg13jthm's review should let you know perfectly well whether or not you are the kind of person who'd enjoy this utterly useless, pointless show.Finally, to add a bit of "fairness" to my diatribe, I it Bourdain would have been momentarily amusing had I met him in a bar. But as a TV host of a travel show whose purpose is to show the viewer the beauty of other places and cultures, Bourdain is a miserable, abject, hopeless, grim and depressing failure.A failure.
cmmcclurg With Bourdain's whit and sarcasm this show is never boring. He much like the world's most sarcastic tourist that travels off the beaten path and goes to more rural areas. His interest in the bizare and the more common food of each country he visit is amazing to see. But not only does he take you to see the food sights but also introduces you to the culture and history of that country he is in at the time. His shows funny, entertaining and educational.He will take you to deep fried snake skins in Vietnam to scramble eggs bushmen style in Nambia and also normal foods like beer and sausages in .
