Squeezing out the big summer blockbusters, every once and awhile, a small film comes along that’s original and special. My Big Fat Greek Wedding was perhaps the best example of that, but Chef, is the now/new example.
Jon Favreau writes, directs and stars as Chef Carl Casper, “The Next Big Thing” at a Los Angeles restaurant with potential for so much more, owned by Riva (Dustin Hoffman) who wants his menu to stay just as it is. Traditional.
But Chef Casper wants to be artistic in his creations. And so does his team of line chefs (John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale). And Chef Casper wants everything just right because the food blogger, Ramsey Michell (Oliver Platt) is showing up today. But Casper also wants a better relationship with his son, Percy (Emjay Anthony) since divorcing his mother Inez (Sophia Vergara).
He wants a lot of things that in one night will go terribly wrong thanks to social media ruining everything. And that’s the film’s charm and subplot…of all things….social media…and how it can destroy the hard work of a chef for others to just get a good laugh online. But alas, this subplot also helps bond the father/son relationship because it seems Casper’s ten year old boy knows how to Facebook, twitter, instagram, YouTube, his father’s way out of his messes.
Robert Downey Jr plays the hilarious ex-ex of Chef Casper’s ‘ex’ as the financial backer (of sorts) to the Chef’s adventures. Downey Jr’s performance is reminiscent of his witty and romantic sarcasm in the film Only You.
About half way through, the film becomes a new one, but that’s okay, when line chef (Leguizamo) along with Chef Casper and his son, Percy take to the American road in a food truck for a movable feast. As the Chef bonds with his son who slowly becomes his “head of marketing” and gets his dream of taking the passion of creation and then the delivery of it on paper plates, Chef Casper might just find out what really matters in life…yet…like any true artist, still be able to touch people’s lives by what an artist does best. ♔ ♕ ♚ ♛