Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo, Bobby Cannavale, Emjay Anthony, Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Sofia Vergara, Oliver Platt, Robert Downey Jr., Amy Sedaris
Running Time: 115 minutes
Certificate: 15
Synopsis: 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.
Follow your dreams, do what your passionate about, and don’t be afraid to go back to the basics when you know that they work. These sentiments may well be drawn from director Favreau’s own history; starting off producing/directing low budget indie favourites like SWINGERS and MADE and steadily climbing through to the mainstream; producing the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time to date THE AVENGERS as well as directing the first two IRON MAN movies. If the comparison follows; Dustin Hoffman is Kevin Feige and Favreau turns down someone else’s menu (IRON MAN 3) in search of what him happy.
Favreau might have stepped away from his IRON MAN franchise but he’s still called in a few favours from THE AVENGERS with Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson both making an appearance here but sadly in CHEF, they are only playing rather distant co-starring roles. Johansson as a restaurant hostess/Favreau’s love interest is a character that neither adds to the plot or advances the story – aside from perhaps a nod to how good food can get any woman into bed. Downey Jr. pops up in a ludicrous role as Sofia Vergara’s ex-husband who is called upon to help Casper get his food van business idea off the ground.
The saving grace of CHEF, and the spring from which the movie gets its entire heart, is that of the relationship between Favreau and Emjay Anthony who plays his son Percy. Anthony is an onscreen delight and gives warmth and heart to a relationship which is initially a little one-sided. When the film finally moves from the restaurant set-up to the open road, which could easily have come half-an-hour sooner, the chemistry between Favreau and Anthony blossoms as they bond over their food heritage. Cue scenes that will have your stomach demanding authentic street food instantly. Despite the eagerness to shoe-horn as many social media platforms into the food van’s popularity as possible the strongest scenes are those in which Favreau is being himself in the food van and the moments between him and his son, cooking up a storm, which feel genuine.
There’s a lot about this movie that shouldn’t work and it’s by no means perfect but despite a few shortcomings, CHEF manages to be a funny, entertaining and unexpectedly family-orientated film. It’ll leave you smiling but also craving authentic street food; no mean feat at all.
[usr=4] CHEF is released in UK cinemas this Wednesday, June 25th.
