Pressure Cooker

A heart-grabbing, awe-inspiring work that needs no embellishment.

The movie's sense of inspiration is realistic. It never implies a future of glamour, only hard-won success.

Succeeds by placing us in an interesting world with characters who are impossible not to root for.

Pressure Cooker may not get the royal, Conde Nast-magazine hype accorded that upcoming Julia Child movie (starring, who else, Meryl Streep), but it merits a place of honor at the table.

Stephenson's a true original, worthy of her own reality TV show. As Pressure Cooker proves: Anything is possible.

The intersection of food and identity is briefly explored, and the prep/exam sequences have a tension and charm that keeps the film moving toward its literally rewarding climax.

The culinary setting gives this familiar formula an appetizing twist.