Adams Movie Reviews - Chef

So let us start this movie review process! First and foremost, I love peanut butter. Why did I put this in my review? It’s because that’s how I will be rating what I enjoyed. So my votes will be decided on ½ peanut butter jars to 5 peanut butter jars. As the readers viewing my profile to see if I’m worth the everyday click bate that will be going through your feed, I will give you my 3 part series in some of my favorite movies in the last 10 years. I will try to keep these short in sweet while giving more in depth info on more recent movies.

So, let’s enter the thunder dome together shall we?!

Chef (2014)

Starring: John Favreau, Scarlett Johansson, Emjay Anthony, Sofia Vegara, Dustin Hoffman, and John Leguizamo.

Written and Directed by John Favreau

Growing up in the restaurant industry, I couldn’t help but to be drawn to this film. John Favreau spent his time researching the industry for this film while also honing his craft in cooking. You can see this in his writing as well as how he acts will all of his counter parts in this film. It felt like I was entering my family restaurant all over again.

Carl Casper (Favreau) was considered to be a rock star in the restaurant industry. This fell through the cracks as years went on and eventually passed him like the free puppy sign you see on the side of the road driving.  While trying to stay to stay on top of the culinary industry, his personal life crumbled. Similar to the crust on top of a cobbler. Less tasty though. This resulted in a divorce and a lost relationship with his son.

Carl’s boss Riva (Hoffman) finds out that a local food blogger/writer will be coming into the restaurant to review his food. Carl, wanting to change things up and impress this writer, decides to make a new menu. (Side note: Everything he came up with would have been a home run at any fine restaurant.)                                                        

However, Riva didn’t want him to proceed with Carl’s original idea. This led into a battle of who was the big dog. Sad to say, Carl didn’t win. When it was all said and done, the blogger hated the “tried and true” method that Casper was forced to cook. Then all hell breaks loose when he reads the review with his coworkers Martin (Leguizamo) and Molly (Johansson). Carl finds the blogger on his second try at his now former restaurant. What happens next is an intense confrontation between him and the blogger that results in this very moment going viral.

Now that Carl is jobless, he finds himself with more time with his sheltered and neglected son Percy (Anthony). This leads to him going on vacation wife his son and former wife Inez (Vegara). It’s there where he finds his future in an old taco truck. Along with Percy and the surprise appearance of Martin, they embark on a journey together back to California to produce Cuban food of epic proportions. While his father was focusing on his craft, Percy spent most of his time on Twitter and making short videos to bring everyone to their truck on the way to California. Through growth in the company and sharing the drive together, Casper found what was the important puzzle piece missing in his life.                                                                    Family.

This movie hits on every level for me. When I used to hear John Faverau’s name, I couldn’t help but to think of his quirky mma style relationship with Monica in Friends or the chipper smart ass friend/assistant to Tony Stark in Iron Man. I no longer think that.

This movie shows the art in cooking while providing insight on what passion can cause in everyday relationships. I’m not saying passion is a bad thing. Far from it. Without passion, our world would stop evolving. That being said, neglecting the ones that surround your life will surely make you incomplete. He shows you that with the growth in love with his son and ex-wife.

So to end this first review, I ask a question?

Who’s hungry after this?

5 peanut butter jars out of 5!