Amy Adler Tilo (Aishwarya Rai) was left an orphan in India when her parents were killed by bandits. Happily, an old lady, skilled in herbal medicine, aka "spices", took her on as a pupil. One of the things that Tilo learned was how to "listen" to the spices and predict futures, including her own. Now, Tilo lives outside San Francisco and runs a well-known spice shop, where she is revered as an herbalist and good person. But, she avoids romance, in part because her instructor drilled in the need for personal sacrifice in her life's work. Also, she has never been to SF, despite living so close. One day, a handsome motorcyclist, Doug (Dylan McDermott) is injured in front of her shop. Tilo immediately senses that this man is "trouble" for her celibacy but she mixes a concoction of herbs that heals his wounds more quickly. For his part, Doug is attracted to Tilo's great beauty and gentle ways. He makes a point of trying to get her to go on a date. But, even spending time thinking of this man causes Tilo to lose balance and blame mishaps to her regular customers on her own inattention. Can Tilo resist Doug? Will a romance upset her world? This is an exotic, stunningly beautiful film that is virtually unknown to most of the public. Perhaps, fans of McDermott have sought it out; lucky them. Part of the film's success lies in the glimpse into the world of Indian spices and heritage, especially the strong dedication of Hindi herbalists. The movie also features two lovely performances from the stars and a great supporting cast. Costumes, setting, photography, and a sensitive direction complete its journey to excellence. Do make a strong effort to find this gem, romance and quality film fans. It will turn your head and touch your heart.

alan-culpitt What to say of this film? Well first the good bits. The story is an engaging fairy tale shot through with the kind of messy but engaging humanity that only India and Indians can bring. A sensuous feast for the eyes (I enjoyed the film whilst downing a bottle of wine with my other half) there are some gorgeous shots with piles of spices and herbs you can almost smell on the screen. Zhora Sehgal is always great and pops up in all sorts of films as "miscellaneous old Indian lady" and Aishwariya Rai is quite astonishingly loose-the-thread-of-what-you-were-talking-about beautiful.On the other hand Dylan McDermott is awful, utterly wooden and unconvincing as the architect-biker. Check out one shot where he looks utterly ridiculous with his crash helmet on. The ending's a bit of a disappointment too.All in all worth getting out on video and sitting back and revelling in the sensuous side of the film

jez Let's begin with...the good things, shall we? The cinematography, art direction... it's OK. Visually, I think this movie has succeeded in creating a modern showing and respect for traditions. Beautifully done there, I promise you that your eyes will have a feast on all the spices. That's about all I can say. The characters are confusing, questionable, unrealistic... The whole storyline and concept is magical, mystical and mysterious though it succeeded in being unconvincing. I mean, my favorite movies are Memoirs of a Geisha and Big Fish; all these stories have beautiful story lines, images, fantasies etc. "Mistress of Spices" failed right from the beginning. Overflooded with voice overs, over explained and overdescripted with unnecessary dialogue. I thought it killed the beautiful images seen on screen. Wise words and inspiring lines were thrown casually at inappropriate times. Everything was predictable, foolish and very flat. I feel so terrible for every potentially-good movie I see that turns out to be a flop.

jbarnes-10 I enjoyed this film almost as much as "Bride and Prejudice" The cinematography was fantastic and the story was very original and heartwarming. A great date movie and one you can watch with kids around. With all the schlock that is being put out now, this was a breath of fresh air.The acting is excellent and the mix of humor and drama was even and well paced. No its not the best movie ever made but it's one of the best I've rented lately, enough so that I would watch it again.The supporting cast, many of whom were in "Bride and Prejudice", were excellent and you care about them and their problems. A very nice escape from the sad world we live in today.