No compensation was received for this post. I attended a screening which facilitated the writing of this post.
Over the weekend, my husband and I celebrated his birthday and Mother’s Day over an epicurean meal at one of Orange County’s finest restaurants. In true foodie fashion, I documented our culinary experience on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. This merging of food and social media is a growing trend, and one of the unique cinematic approaches incorporated into Open Road Films’ latest release, Chef. Written and directed by Jon Favreau, Chef follows the story of Carl Casper (played by Favreau) who’s work at a popular Los Angeles restaurant is stifling his creativity and dream to connect people through food.
From the moment the film opens, audiences are immersed within the delicious culture of food. I am a total foodie, so watching Casper whip up an elegant pasta dish for the restaurant’s hostess Molly (Scarlett Johansson) or a cheesy grilled cheese sandwich for his son made my mouth water. While definitely a love story dedicated to food, Chef explores the imperfectly poignant and burgeoning relationship between Casper and his son and the conflict between his passion for giving people an engaging food experience and the demands of restaurant owner Riva (Dustin Hoffman)…a story weaved together through the beauty of food and the power of social media.
When Casper learns that popular food blogger and critic Ramsey Michel (Oliver Platt) is coming into the restaurant for a write-up, he knows that the only way to win him over is to cook from his heart. Unfortunately, his edgy menu doesn’t mesh with Riva’s instructions to “play it safe.” Rather than risk his job, Casper errs on the side of tradition and the reviews come back worse than expected. Chefs create dishes to give people an experience and they often put their heart and themselves into the food they create. So it’s understandable that Casper is angered by Michel’s callous, demeaning review. Through social media, specifically Twitter, Casper invites Michel back to the restaurant for a second attempt at winning him over, only to explode into a rage that is captured and shared across social media channels like wild fire. Out of a job and defeated, Casper joins ex-wife Inez (Sofía Vergara) in Miami, where he is gifted a fixer-upper food truck from Inez’s ex Marvin (Robert Downey, Jr). What ensues is a delightfully delicious cross-country adventure where Casper regains his passion for food through the Cubano and reconnects with his son.
While admittedly a feel-good film with a foreseeable ending, I personally found the film to be a refreshing and inspiring look into the life of a chef and the passion that drives them. My foodie self was definitely indulged and I found the interplay between Casper’s friend and line cook Carl (John Leguizamo) provided much comic relief. Perhaps the most rewarding takeaway from the film is the theme of second chances, evidenced in Casper’s relationship with his son and his renewed passion for food.
Chef opened in a limited number of theaters in LA and New York last week and has expanded to additional cities including Orange County and San Diego. For showtimes, visit Fandango.com.
Images: Open Road Films
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