Chef

Starring: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Emjay Anthony
Directed By: Jon Favreau
Reviewed by Brendan Dousi

[Rating: 3.5/5]

Passion projects seem to be a trend lately when it comes to people who might have been playing the Hollywood game a little too long. There must be an innate desire there to cut through all the typical hypocrisy to create something that is truly yours, something that you want to say, something where (on the most part) you don’t need to answer to anyone else except yourself. The most recent example of this that comes to mind would have to be John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo, an intimate and personal film that he clearly was longing to make. This seems to be continuing, with veteran Iron Man director Jon Favreau who has taken the time out of his hectic high-concept Hollywood production schedule to focus on a smaller, more personal project that he wrote, directed and starred in himself; Chef. Will this creative foray into smaller, more personal story-telling prove testament to bigger names focusing on smaller projects, or should Favreau and others like him simply stick with super powers and explosions?

Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) is a world-class Chef at a successful restaurant, he has a Menu that works and has gone virtually unchanged for the last 10 years mostly due to the insistence of restaurant owner Riva (Dustin Hoffman). When hugely influential food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) is slated to review the restaurant, Carl wants to make something truly different and special for him but is denied that opportunity by Riva. When the reviews come in things turn ugly, sparking an online flame war between the Chef and Reviewer ultimately resulting in an embarrassingly awkward public display from Casper. Disgraced and out of a job, Casper struggles to get back on his feet until his ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara) convinces him to start up a food truck, hoping that the creative freedom of running his own kitchen will finally make him happy. Casper eventually agrees and travels the country with his best friend Martin (John Leguizamo) and son Percy (Emjay Anthony), opening his eyes to the fact that perhaps his work had been blinding him to other, more important, aspects of his life.

Chef is one of those films that seem to suffer from some form of bi-polar disorder. The beginning of the film, while still good, was quite a negative affair. Emotions were high, the characters struggled and the plot basically consisted of things going wrong for poor Chef Casper. Then, eventually, once Chef has moved on from his restaurant-bound existence the film undergoes a complete and utter mood shift towards the positive. This is a good thing, that’s for sure, but it’s quite sudden with no real gradual progression to it. This change comes across as a jarring affair, but luckily that doesn’t stop it from being a pleasant surprise. The second half of the film is so cheerful, charming and life-affirming that it makes up for any of the short-comings that were brought on by the first half of the film. The first half of the film being where the main problem lies; this film is too long. For some reason, the first act of the film is the longest. From establishing the characters to Chef Casper moving on from the Restaurant takes the majority of the film. Something that should have been done in under half an hour took twice as long and the other, better half of the film starts way too late into the game. This is in no way saying the beginning of the film isn’t enjoyable, it is, it just drags on way too long.

The characters are the main strength of this film. Chef Casper is such a well-rounded character, all of them are, that you can’t help but root for him even when he’s being a bit of an ignorant sod and slightly neglectful father. A stellar cast of actors, too many to name all of them here, truly bring this film to life. Lead expertly by a surprisingly magnetic Jon Favreau, working a unique “every man” charm that truly invests you in the characters journey. Props also go out to newcomer Emjay Anthony as Percy, Chef Casper’s son, who brings out some top notch child acting that really made the film a joy.

While it’s not without flaws, namely an overlong first act and a too-sudden tonal shift, Chef manages to be an entertaining, witty and charming exploration of a man pursuing his passions and realising that family should be one of the most important aspects in life. If you’re after something to make you smile and a little bit hungry at the end, Chef is definitely the film for you.