Chef (2014)

Genres

Comedy | Drama

Director

Jon Favreau

Country

USA

Cast

Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, Emjay Anthony, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Amy Sedaris, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr., Russell Peters, Jose Caridad Hernandez

Storyline

Frustrated chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) quits his restaurant job and buys a food truck so that he can be artistically free again.

Opinion

As a foodie, I'm ashamed of myself for watching "Chef" only now because it is a fantastic ode to food. As a movie lover, I'm ashamed of myself for watching it only now because it is a charming, entertaining, fun and feel-good dramedy.

Jon Favreau used to be Iron Man's chauffeur, and this is when he proves he's more than just a side character. He's actually Superman, I'd add. He does a fantastic job both directing and acting in this film, but now I'm going to focus on his other role, as the writer.

The story is enjoyable, it moves quickly and so smoothly it doesn't even feel like there's a script -everything just looks incredibly natural - and it will have your attention for the entire running time. There aren't useless plot-points and no needless subplots. Okay, that's not 100% true. Scarlett Johansson's character is kinda pointless and at some point, she disappears like she never even existed. 

And okay, maybe that's not the only problem, in fact the majority of the characters are shallow and underdeveloped, but the film is about the journey of Carl Casper, a journey of self-discovery, redemption and love. It is also about the relationship between Carl and his estranged son Pearcy, and the beautiful friendship he shares with Martin and Favreau delivered all that beautifully.

Like I mentioned earlier, "Chef" celebrates food and the art of cooking and it does that with some beautiful (and touching) scenes, from Carl trying a new menu for the restaurant, to the gold moments he spends in the truck with his son.

And the comedy is fantastic. It is light, slightly vulgar at times, and incredibly hilarious other times, and it's balanced with some clever dialogue and just the right amount of drama. The soundtrack also adds a lot of the film with its funky rhythm.