This could have been the great indie except the male lead was a total butthead and violated all principals of love and fair play ... just where is this small latino village in new mexico ... that;s correct, it doesn't exist ... a restaurant needs more than a secret recipe or a garden that produces jalenopena peppers ... boo.

Off The Menu is a nice little movie. Is it a classic? Absolutely not. But it is not a dog of a film either. What makes it work are four things. 1: The New Mexico scenery. 2: The little girl Sophia Torres (Makenzie Moss),she is not the usual bratty kid smarter then adults. 3: It is NOT a chick flick. The movie is told primarily from the perspective of Joel Flanagan (Santino Fontana) a lawyer and heir to a chain of Mexican fast food restaurants named Tortilla Hut ( think Pizza Hut meets Taco Bell). As a guy I certainly prefer that. 4: The character growth in Joel: He goes from a self centered person ( he is nicknamed Galileo because he thinks everything revolves around him) and being unable to think of an entire good deed in his life ( when asked by Sophia) to giving up a cushy job and massive trust fund to be with Sophia and her chef/restaurant owner mom ( Javiera (Dania Ramirez)). Spoilers ahead: He actually bikes 900 miles from Irvine, California to Villanueva, New Mexico just to be with Javiera and Sophia. It is actually a good thing he did because Sophia stole a truck and almost got herself drowned trying to reach Joel ( of course, he saved her). Javiera asked Sophia why did you do it? She said "I wanted to get Joel, can we keep him?" Of course, he is staying. She thanked Joel for "saving my baby" and his response was "No, thank you for saving me." The ending happened one year later in the restaurant with Joel and Javiera married ( and her pregnant),and Sophia calling Joel daddy. Everyone ends up "Happily Ever After." 7/10 stars.

Since reading and seeing the film "Like Water for Chocolate", this film ranks high for me in the food film genre. The character, Javiera oozes with love and passion for unadulterated food from her hands in a presentation worthy of an art masterpiece. The town of Villanueva and the community inspires one to want to visit New Mexico. The scenery is breathtaking. I enjoyed both Dania Ramirez and Maria Conchita Alonso as strong women leads. True, the film is predictable, but in a good way.