Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr., Emjay Anthony
Screenplay: Jon Favreau
114 mins. Rated R for language, including some suggestive references.
Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens) has, in the last six years, exploded due to his involvement in the highly successful but extremely risky Marvel Cinematic Universe, including his directing of two installments. After leaving the directorial duties to others, Favreau chose to take on a more personal project in Chef.
Chef is all about Carl Casper (Favreau), a famous chef capable of great things but squandered by Riva (Dustin Hoffman, TV’s Luck, Kramer vs. Kramer), an uninspired restaurant owner who is sick and tired of Casper’s ways. When Carl loses his way and his job, he and his son Percy (Emjay Anthony, It’s Complicated), along with colleague Martin (John Leguizamo, Ice Age, John Wick), open up a food truck and take it along the American roads.
This is a cute little movie and star-director-writer Favreau does well as Casper, a father who wants to earn back a little love from his son and earn back a little respect after losing it all. This film is all about the relationship between father and son, and it’s played nicely, albeit too familiarly. Favreau’s style here is nice and somewhat inspirational. There isn’t a whole lot of spectacle here, but there doesn’t really need to be. I also love that Jon Favreau learned to cook everything he cooks. He is completely believable and real as the star cook.
Chef is a nice little character piece but makes the mistakes of being a little too familiar and a little too fairy-tale bowed. It isn’t a film to change any lives, but it is worth a viewing, just not on an empty stomach.
3.5/5
-Kyle A. Goethe
GOAT Film Reviews 