In the tradition of the great gastronomical pictures of the past, like ‘The Big Night’, ‘Babette’s Feast’, and ‘Eat, Drink, Man, Woman’, CHEF is a satisfying cinematic smorgasbord where ingredients, preparation, and presentation earn major movie Michelins.
As an entre to the main course, cook Carl Casper, the chef of the title, is shopping up a storm in preparation for a culinary blitzkreig to wow the most influential food critic in LA.
But the restaurant’s proprietor puts a kibosh on any changes to the menu that has made its name over the past decade. The critic duly dishes out a disparaging review and an irrevocable schism fractures the relationship between the restaurateur and his chef.
All looks like ruination, and after some rumination, rejuvenation is at hand when he decides to revisit his roots in Miami, home of his wife and Cubana cuisine. Before he can say go truck yourself, he is, quite literally, trucking himself back to psychological and economic health, via a food truck, trading tasty tostadas from Florida to California.
CHEF is a return to form (and his formative roots) for Jon Favreau as a character actor/writer/director after his recent forays into the sci fi superhero CGI soulessness system.
As successful as those sorties have been, there is a sizeable audience out there, which includes me, that hankers for the fave Favs of ‘Swingers’ and ‘Made’.
The care that has been ladled on this screenplay of sumptuous delights is accompanied by the garnishing of a seasoned cast.
John Leguizamo portrays feisty Cuban grill cook Martin who quits the restaurant to join his chef in his new venture while Bobby Cannavale is the less than supportive sous chef when the shit hits the pan with restaurateur, Riva, played with imperious perfection by Dustin Hoffman.
Scarlett Johansson appears as the restaurant floor manager, Molly, Sofia Vergara plays Casper’s ex wife and mother to his son, Percy, played by Emjay Anthony and Oliver Platt plays food blogger Ramsey Michel. Cherry on top cameos are supplied by Amy Sedaris as a garrulous agent and Robert Downey jnr. as the Chef’s ex ex.
CHEF is much more than a movie about foodies. It’s a study of the double edged sword of social media – its constructive and destructive elements, and it’s about the obligation of critics to be sensitive to the work that has gone into any creative endeavour.
The film illustrates how easy it is to essay sassy with smart-arse, cynical criticism any flaw in the final production, but best practice should prevail upon disciplined critics to temper their displeasure with some realisation that in most instances, effort has been expended even if excellence has been elusive and that failure is not some colossal fault that should swallow the creators.
We are such slaves to success that we risk regarding failure as killing, and in turn want to kill failure, invoking a capital punishment on the creative process.
CHEF also focuses on the cost of personal relationships sometimes sacrificed on the altar of career success and status. As a dad Carl has been a bit of a dud. His fall from gastronomic grace provides him with an opportunity to reclaim his patchy parenthood and forge a meaningful relationship with his son through food.
The boy becomes Carl’s apprentice as well as publicist and marketing manager through his savvy with social media. This is one of the neat turns of the film, as Carl’s demise as a restaurant chef is a result of injudicious use of tweets and blogs and viral video, so too his redemption and resurrection is rallied by positive postings via the same technology.
CHEF is the cinematic equivalent of comfort food but it’s not stodge. Every morsel is worth savouring, every frame has flavour, and its appetite for life, love, music, friendship and food is hearty. It’s a recipe for a fine entertainment.