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Review

Depardieu plays the title character, a caterer hired by a destitute prince (Glover) to curry the favor of King Louis XIV (Sands). Cooking ensues, as does a requisite love triangle between Vatel, Louis and the ravishing Anne (Thurman). However, there's no passion here; all of the "sumptuous" elements are in place, but Vatel is a perfunctory period piece, with all the energy of a dusty dollhouse. This French film has an English-language script by Tom Stoppard, though Depardieu seems to be speaking his own Andre the Giant-inspired tongue.