Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hour 54 mins
Director. Jon Favreau
Cast. Emjay Anthony, Bobby Cannavale, Robert Downey Jr, Jon Favreau, Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Sofia Vergara.
Rating. 75%
Jon Favreau's Chef is an unashamedly feel-good drama. Following a number of social media faux-pas - including a confrontation with revered food critic, Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt), which quickly becomes a YouTube sensation - the once-promising chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) resigns from a stifling restaurant job to run a food truck in an attempt to rediscover his creative spark.
The inevitable rediscovery takes place whilst chef Carl Casper drives the El Jefe food truck back home to Los Angeles from Miami in the company of trusted sous chef, Martin (John Leguizamo) and an increasingly estranged son, Percy (Emjay Anthony). Unsurprisingly the food truck and road trip reignite the chef's creative passion but it is the gradual repairing of the relationship between father and son that is most heartwarming.
Favreau transforms himself into a believable, bona fide food professional and his attention to detail is demonstrated in the end credits with a mesmerising scene of genuine chef, Roi Choi teaching Favreau how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich and how to correctly hold the plancha spatula. As a result, Favreau frequently produces lusciously shot sequences of food porn.
In its own right, Chef is a satisfying offering, but the storyline could be seen as a metaphor for Jon Favreau's own views on artistic ideals and financial success. Having written the critically acclaimed Swingers in 1996, Favreau was entrusted with directorial duties on Iron Man in 2008, which to date, has grossed almost $600,000,000. But pressure from the studio executives meant Favreau helmed a rushed, piecemeal Iron Man 2, leading to the director being responsible for one of the best and one of the worst instalments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Jon Favreau's own El Jefe equivalent may be Chef, which finds him returning to the smaller, character-driven film he began in. The film he wanted to make, without studio interference. The result is a film every bit as comforting as chef Carl Casper's grilled cheese sandwich.
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