Chef Movie Review (Spoiler Free)

If there is anything in this world able to unite humanity, it might be a good meal. Favreau’s newest indie flick shows how powerful cooking can be, serving as a metaphor for his career as a director.

Genre: Adventure / Comedy / Drama

Director: Jon Favreau

Cast: Jon Favreau, Emjay Anthony, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Amy Sedaris, Robert Downey Jr., Bobby Cannavale, Oliver Platt, Scarlett Johansson & Dustin Hoffman.

Run Time: XXX min.

US Release: 30 May 2014

UK Release: 25 June 2014

German Release: 28 May 2015

Chef, or Kiss the Cook as it was called in Germany, is the latest movie by director and actor Jon Favreau. It was released on Thursday, the 28th and stars Favreau as the main character, alongside John Leguizamo, Sofía Vergara, Emjay Anthony, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jr., and the great Dustin Hoffman.

This culinary piece of art tells the story of the acclaimed chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) and his ongoing struggle to balance his working life and relationships with ex-wife Inez (Vergara) and their son Percy (Emjay Anthony). After a confrontation with a food critic who panned his cooking is filmed and uploaded to the internet, Casper loses his job at the restaurant. With his career and reputation ruined, he accepts an offer from his ex-wife and renovates an old food truck to serve quality dishes on his own terms. Together with his son and a colleague (Leguizamo), he takes a road trip across the U.S., serving his food and promoting his new business, eventually becoming a sensation.

I really liked the plot of this movie! It is a simple story yet charged with so much emotional power. The blend between drama and comedy was handled well, and the way they portrayed food as a source that can reconnect friends and family was depicted beautifully. Another message this movie explored was the power that social networking can have. We live in a new age where the internet can serve as a tool to promote someone’s business - or ruin a career - in a matter of minutes.

I am a great fan of cooking and had an immediate connection with the movie, as I understood the passion and love of these people when it came to creating something that others are able to enjoy. I thought Favreau did a tremendous job directing this movie and playing the lead. The story served, in some way, as a metaphor for filmmaking in Hollywood and depicted the pain the director went through during the last couple of years. This made him able to relate to Casper and the punches he needed to take from critics.

The dialogue in this movie is excellent! I loved how the conversations between Casper and his son changed over the course of the film, from two strangers barely knowing each other to a real, thriving father–son relationship.

Leguizamo and Downey were also great. They added so much humorous material to the story. It wasn’t awkward or randomly funny, but felt natural to the narrative and served a purpose. My favourite section of the film, though, must be the road trip. The conversations during the characters’ publicity tour were the strongest throughout the movie.

There were two things I did have problems with, though; the ending being one. By the end of the film, the last scene abruptly cuts to the credits. It was so sudden that I waited to see if there was something more to come along in the mid-credits. That was a real turn-off, as I expected a more rounded finish. Another issue I had with Chef was the number of cuts and short scenes used. I have no problem when a movie jumps forward in time, but in the first act of this flick, it happens constantly, just to progress to the tipping point of Casper’s career.

Cinematography-wise, apart from all the cuts at the beginning, the indie film was shot very well. The short frames served a purpose when depicting how Casper spent time with his son. These shots showed us how urgently he wanted to return his child to his ex-wife and how little he was investing in his family, simply to progress in his career.

Again, the cross-country tour to promote his food truck was the highlight of this movie. I loved how Favreau managed to absorb the culture of each state, not only on film but also when it came to food.

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Verdict: Chef marks Jon Favreau’s return to the independent film industry and is a beautiful and well-told story. This might be the feel-good movie of the year, and I truly recommend watching this little gem. If you are a food lover, as I am, you are going to appreciate this film even more! I give Chef an 8.0 out of 10.

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