Chef
A Chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.
A lot of Jon Favreau's famous friends star in this comedy, all contributing and leaving their mark on this tasty film. Part road-movie, part father-son bounding tale, Favreau has cooked up a story that has a sweet and wholesome tone to it.
chef liberates favreau
It's nice to see Favreau step away from the blockbuster genre and come back to his roots. He's helmed numerous big budget movies (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Cowboys & Aliens) and for the financial upturn of them, blockbusters can drag a director's vision down and leave them feeling restraint. Chef is totally the opposite. If anything it liberates Favreau, and gives him ground to stretch himself narratively.
Chef is about a very popular Los Angeles Chef named Carl Casper (Favreau) who's world crashes around him and he's left to rebuild his identity but more importantly, regain the trust of others around him. He opens a food van and goes on a self-discovery road trip, and along the way bonds with his son.
rises above potential stumbling blocks
An interesting aspect within this movie is the use of modern technology and social media. A lot of films these days are incorporating these elements as they are an everyday occurrence in our own lives. Some films rely too heavily on these props, ultimately dragging the narrative or flow of a scene down. Chef manages to rise above these potential stumbling blocks. The use of Twitter works perfectly within this film. It fits the mood and story in the contemporary world of which the film is set.
Littered with fantastic performances and snappy dialogue, Chef's crowning star is without a doubt Emjay Anthony, who plays Favreau's son Percy. Their on-screen chemistry works perfectly, and is accented just as well with the interactions with his ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara).
Chef is a fun movie with plenty of heartfelt moments. Favreau's interactions with his son are the key ingredients to this film being a nice, warm slice of entertainment. Be warned, you will no doubt end up feeling rather hungry after watching.
