Jon Favreau‘s Chef may be lightweight material, but it’s honest and has an energy to it that gives it a bubbling effervescence. It’s vivid and lively, raising it above its cliched trappings. Favreau, who wrote, directed and stars in the lead role, clearly took a very personal approach to this one as it feels he’s working out any lingering issues he suffered while making and reading reviews of Iron Man 2 and Cowboys & Aliens and he tackles it in a very mature, open way, which only adds to the refreshing nature of the movie overall.
What happens when you take an established “artist” in whatever their trade may be — painting, filmmaking, music, graphic design, cooking, etc. — and tie their hands behind their backs, preventing them from continuing to explore their art and do what their heart tells them? Besides what happens, why would you do such a thing if you’ve hired such a person for their artistry and expertise? Such questions are instantly broached in Chef as Favreau gets back to his indie roots before Iron Man thrust him in to the directorial stratosphere.
Favreau plays Carl Casper, a well-reviewed chef at an upscale restaurant that has found himself in something of a rut, making the same meals that made him well known to begin with for a dedicated customer base and a restaurant owner that would prefer to give the people what they already know they like rather than risk trying something different. I’m sure you’re seeing the film parallels already.
Carl, looking to get out of said rut on the day when a major food critic (Oliver Platt) is expected for dinner service, has prepared a brand new menu. His confidence in himself, however, is ultimately shot down as the restaurant’s owner (Dustin Hoffman) encourages him to make his usual menu. The subsequent review isn’t kind, sending Carl into a tailspin to the point a video of him yelling at said critic goes viral.
Without a job and no prospects he takes advice from his ex wife (Sofia Vergara) and starts a food truck, which allows him to reconnect with his love of food as well as his son Percy (Emjay Anthony). Together with his sous chef (John Leguizamo), Carl and Percy take the food truck on the road from Florida to Los Angeles, stopping at various cities along the way and reigniting Carl’s passion. It’s cliched fluff, but it really hits the spot in a way that’s almost surprising as Favreau isn’t doing anything here we haven’t seen before, but perhaps it’s merely the energy you feel from everyone involved that gives the film its heart.
It would be easy enough to look at the fact Carl is hardly a looker in the GQ sense and question whether he’d be able to land a wife that looks like Vergara or start a sexual relationship with his restaurant hostess played by Scarlett Johansson. If you quickly realize we’re talking about a celebrity chef here it makes a little more sense, not to mention Carl may not be a looker, but he’s a passionate guy and people are drawn to such passion and confidence. It’s once that passion dwindles people begin to show an ugly side and become isolated.
We don’t see Carl in his heyday, we’re introduced to him only once he hits rock bottom, never a place where we’re going to initially see the best someone has to offer. It’s only after someone looks themselves in the mirror and acknowledges the truth of their situation do we begin to see who they really are, Carl is no different.
Emjay Anthony, playing Carl’s son, is a treat. He’s the film’s connection to the outside world, setting up a Twitter account and Facebook page for the traveling food truck. Carl’s connection with his son is strained and stereotypical at the film’s beginning and it can be a little frustrating to see the story go down such cliched paths, but in the end it’s worth it as you grow to appreciate where things eventually lead following their rocky beginnings.
Finally, Leguizama is great as he most often is in high-spirited supporting roles and the same goes for Bobby Cannavale as one of Carl’s line chefs in the early-going. It also helps Chef isn’t toned down to a family friendly PG-rating, which it very well could have been. The R-rating comes primarily from the language used in the film and while some may argue it’s unnecessary and only limits the audience (something the head of a major studio would definitely say), it adds to the authenticity and the freedom of the actors and the film’s script. This isn’t to say swearing makes a film better, but to restrict what characters would say under normal, everyday life circumstances conflicts with the very nature of telling an honest story. Being told you can’t swear is different from knowing you can and simply choosing the right moments to do so.
Overall, Chef is a really fun film. It doesn’t go down any storytelling paths you won’t expect, but it’s what you find once it gets to each stop along the way. Road trips are often very easy stories to tell as the scenery must change from scene-to-scene, which allows bringing something to each scene all the easier, but you still need talented people driving the truck. Chef has a very talented driver and he’s delivered a movie I hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy.
