Directed by and starring Jon Favreau in the lead role, Chef centres on Carl Casper, a
restaurant chef who loses his job thanks to a food critic (Oliver Platt) and
his conservative boss (Dustin Hoffman). Estranged from his son Percy (Emjay
Anthony) and divorced from wife Inez (Sofia Vergara), Carl decides to ditch the
restaurant scene and strike it out on his own with a ramshackle food truck in
order to reclaim his creative passion and piece his family back together.
Taking a break from directing mega-budget action fare such
as the Iron Man movies, Favreau
appears to be taking himself in an entirely different direction with this
simple, cheerful comedy. The colour palette is bright and bursts with colour,
which lends itself well to the subject matter, and there’s barely a character
to be seen without a beaming smile on their face.
A healthy and enjoyable sprinkling of comedy is scattered
throughout, relying very little on toilet humour and instead using a variety of
gags based mostly around Twitter and the snowball effect of the internet, and
the obvious jokes about food. The good natured tone of the whole film is nicely
topped with an energetic and vibrant soundtrack that ranges from soft rock to
heavy rhythmic samba pieces that come into play during the scenes of actual
cooking which should not – under any circumstances – be watched on an empty
stomach.
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Favreau himself is believable in his lead role, and for the
most part appears to actually be cooking most of the food himself rather than
using a double, which adds to that believability. Sofia Vergara is sparky and
fun as she always is, and Emjay Anthony adds a nice touch of innocence as the
tech-savvy son desperate to connect with his father.
The supporting cast is littered with a few of the directors
past associates, Scarlett Johansson faring well as head waitress and close
friend of Casper, and Robert Downey Jr. more or less plays himself as Marvin, a
cleanliness-obsessed businessman who hands over the truck. The film also stars
John Leguizamo in what must be his least irritating role to date as Carl’s best
friend and sous chef. Whilst the character arcs do become very predictable and
by-the-numbers as the story progresses, the audience is having so much fun that
it’s very easy to just dismiss the writing issues as merely a side effect of
the extravagant charm with which the film handles itself.
A film that just wants everyone both involved in it and
watching it to have fun is a rare thing, and that’s exactly what Chef is. In culinary terms, it is
perhaps best compared to an 8oz steak: big, hearty, with one or two side dishes
to add a little variety and that one predictably uneaten piece of garnish that
you never really ask for but forgive the restaurant for anyway. Tuck in and
enjoy.
4.5 Stars
