Chef – Should I Watch It?

Intro to… Chef
Prepare to get hungry. Chef dives into the culinary life of chef Carl Casper. The food looks fingerlicking good, but can the same be said about the rest of the movie?

The Plot
The famous food critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) is feared and respected by many people in the California area. So when he conveys that he is going to eat at the well-known Gauloise restaurant in Brentwood, head chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) wants to impress him with some of his new and inventive dishes. The restaurant owner, however, disapproves of this idea and forces him to stay with the standard menu. This results in a scathing review, some embarrassing moments, and Carl quitting his job.

At first Carl is really frustrated over the loss of his job, but his friend Molly (Scarlett Johansson) encourages him to use this time to reconnect with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and his ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara). Inez convinces him to join them on a trip to Miami where he gets inspired to buy a food truck. He then decides to take Percy on a road trip from Miami to California and stops to cook in various cities along the way.

Should I Watch It?
Above all Chef is a movie that makes you feel good. Nearly every character is genuinely nice. Carl is friends with his colleagues, his ex-wife, and has many strong connections within the culinary world. This gives the whole movie a very positive vibe that is maintained throughout the entire story. Even the antagonists such as the restaurant owner and the food-critic cannot really be blamed. Their decisions and actions might work against Carl, but have no ill intent against him. They are just doing what they think is right.

And the cast does a great job relaying this vibe. This is not surprising since it comprises of many talented actors such as Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, Robert Downey Jr., John Leguizamo, and more. Emjay Anthony also does a good job and makes a likeable kid.

My only complaint about the movie is that I hoped for a different ending. The story pretty much leads to two possible scenarios and it picked the one I hoped it would not. Nevertheless it still works and is just a matter of preference.

Not every movie has to be about explosions, glittered-up vampires, or world endangering catastrophes. Not everything has to be loud and fast and pretentious. Films can be slow and light-hearted, and still entertain. Chef is a hart-warming story about a regular guy trying his best to reconnect with his son over their shared love of cooking. It is cute, sweet, and makes you feel good. I fully recommend watching this movie.

Yes, watch it.

Hi guys, I hope you enjoyed reading this review. If you have any comments on this movie or suggestions for future reviews please let me know via the comment section below. Until next time!