The restoration of an old food truck in “Chef” helps rekindle a broken relationship between a father and his son, portrayed by Jon Favreau and Emjay Anthony.
While Jon Favreau saw great success as executive producer of mega-budget blockbusters such as the "Iron Man" trilogy and "The Avengers," he continues to naturally thrive when working on lower-budget, character-driven, sharp-dialogued comedies. Favreau, who launched his career with the smash-hit indie film "Swingers" in 1996, is back at his bread and butter with the soulful and delicious "Chef."
Favreau, who also wrote and directed the film, plays main character Carl Casper, the chef de cuisine of a chic Los Angeles restaurant. He is a passionate workaholic with a job he genuinely loves—but things aren't perfect for Carl. After busting onto the cooking scene a decade ago as the "next best thing," his creativity in the kitchen is burning out. The owner of the restaurant, Riva (Dustin Hoffman), is more concerned with profits than with promoting Carl's imaginative dishes.
Giving in to the boss, Carl serves the same old blandness to renowned food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt), who writes a scathing review, igniting a Twitter battle and sending Carl into a workplace meltdown.
Now unemployed, Carl's at-home problems seem to be compounding rapidly. He can't nail any job interviews, and his ex-wife, Inez (Sofia Vergara), is on his case about his relationship with their young son, Percy (Emjay Anthony). Bound and determined to use this given fresh start in life to his advantage, Carl allows Inez to set him up with her previous husband, Marvin (Robert Downey Jr.), who owns an old, beat-up food truck in Miami.
From there, "Chef" becomes a warm, heartfelt story of redemption. Carl enlists the help of his eager son to restore the truck, and Carl's best friend and former grill chef, Martin (John Leguizamo), shows up unexpectedly to join in the fun. During a road trip to Los Angeles with stops in New Orleans, La., and Austin, Texas, the trio serves up amazing Cubano sandwiches and laughs, making memories that none of them will ever forget.
As a foodie and an amateur chef, I absolutely loved this movie, but the story will also emotionally resonate with people of all walks of life. It is filled with great characters, life lessons, tears, laughter, passion, and, of course—great food. The writing and the cast are spectacular. With this film, Jon Favreau has reignited his creative indie spirit. If you think Favreau wrote this movie portraying himself in real life, you are most likely spot on.
"Chef" is at Malco Grandview Theatre (221 Grandview Blvd., Madison, 601-898-7819) through June 5. Show times are 1:15 p.m., 4:10 p.m., 7:10 p.m., and 9:45 p.m. Visit malco.com and buycheftickets.com.
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