Here's a tip before taking a seat at
Chef, Jon Favreau's delectable
return to indie filmmaking: Don't go in hungry! This mouth-watering, savory
film is the most satisfying effort by Favreau since he made the leap to
blockbusters, and marks a return to the charming small-budget comedies that
made him popular to begin with. Remember when he was "so money" in
Swingers?
That was a long time ago, and it's probably safe to say that making all of
those
Iron Man movies and
Cowboys & Aliens sapped him of
his creative passion.
Whether Favreau admits or not, there has to be a kernel of reality to
Chef,
which centers on Carl Casper, a prominent L.A. chef at an upscale restaurant
churning out boring, passionless food. But it hooks customers, which is all the
eatery's owner (Dustin Hoffman) cares about. But Carl wants to make his own
menu, and the malaise of his current rut is all over him and infecting the
kitchen, where buddies played by John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale chew the fat
more than they ever slice it. When a powerful local food critic (Oliver Platt)
turns up expecting Carl's best and gets nothing but the same boring menu, it
leads to a bad review that sends Carl into a tailspin.
“I would rather have you sit on my face after a brisk walk on a warm day
than have to suffer through that fucking lava cake again.”
So no, it didn't go well at all. A total freak out at the restaurant is
captured by the customers and becomes a Youtube meme; but that's not nearly as
bad as Carl's fighting words over Twitter, which launches him into celebrity
status. They also basically cost him his job and any chance of getting hired
elsewhere. Somehow he's got to get out of this creative funk and get his groove
back.
Carl also has to get his personal life in order, and that proves to be
another major challenge. Chef is as much about father-son bonding as it is
about food, with the crux of the heartwarming tale about passing on a family
trade. The problem is that Carl is so pre-occupied with work that he barely
knows his son, Percy (EmJay Anthony), who lives with Carl's spicy ex-wife, Inez
(Sofia Vergara). The film really takes off as Carl finally decides to make
chicken salad out of the chicken crap hand he's been dealt, deciding to open up
a food truck paid for by another of Inez's exes (Robert Downey Jr. in arrogant
Stark mode), and make the dishes he always wanted to. And in the process he
gets to reconnect with Percy while hitting the road to some of his favorite
spots and sampling the local eats. Who needs Disney when there are shrimp
po'boys in New Orleans waiting to be devoured? Driving through Texas? Better
stop and sample the local BBQ. Sure, it's a bit simplistic to say that a mere
road trip and a ton of grub can repair a man's soul or fix a family, but if
Favreau is too earnest it's made up for in sincerity.
From the very beginning Favreau strives to get across just how special
cooking food really is, and how it touches the lives of the chef and those he's
preparing it for. With meticulous detail Favreau takes us through all of the
steps we can see on Food Network cooking shows, minus all of the obnoxious
hosts. There's an emphasis on the process, the use of natural ingredients,
stressing local homegrown ingredients that require a bit of nurturing. And even
if the parallels to a father nurturing his son are squishy and sentimental,
it's good to see a film that presents a positive paternal portrayal. Carl isn't
a perfect guy, but he's perfect at cooking food and wants to impart some of that
wisdom on his son. The finest moments come when Carl is imparting hard-learned
lessons to Percy about treating the customer and the food with due respect.
But there are a few burned edges Favreau has to contend with. Once the road
trip begins there are very few moments that aren't completely predictable. And
at some point it does seem that Favreau totally gives up on the plot and
decides to just photograph a bunch of grub. One can hardly blame him as it's
all incredibly well photographed and looks so good you'll be making dinner
plans before the credits roll. Shots are taken at Gordon Ramsey's Hell's
Kitchen, social media, and food criticism as a whole, with Favreau getting out
what seems to be a lot of pent up anger. Although to be fair it probably has
less to do with cooking than with his frustration over the current state of the
movie business. Some of that frustration comes through in his performance early
on, only to settle down comfortably when it's time to impart some fatherly
words of wisdom. The rest of the cast acquit themselves well, especially
Leguizamo, Cannavale, and Vergara. Less convincing are Downey and Scarlett
Johansson who feel like they are only around to do their
Iron Man director
a favor.
Chef is a simple film that uses the finest of ingredients. It's as
comforting as a home cooked meal and just as satisfying.
