Photo courtesy of Fast Company Co.Create
What better way to cope with the semester’s first round of midterms than with a movie? You’re in luck — one of the most enjoyable (but underrated) films of 2014 was just released on Netflix. “Chef,” a comedy-drama written, produced, directed by and starring Jon Favreau, is sure to delight anyone who appreciates good food, road trips and a classic family bonding story.
“Chef” premiered in early 2014 at a handful of film festivals before receiving a limited commercial release in May. It performed modestly well in box office earnings, grossing close to $31.5 million domestically.
However, the overwhelmingly positive critical response was the most lucrative aspect of its release. Maintaining a respectable 86 percent on the popular movie critic site, Rotten Tomatoes, “Chef” garnered 3.5 stars out of 4 from Rolling Stone, USA Today and The Boston Globe. Called “aggressively feel-good” by The New York Times, “Chef” is characterized as “nothing terribly profound…but its message — that relationships, like cooking, take a hands-on approach — is a sweet and sustaining one” by The Washington Post’s Michael O’Sullivan.
Favreau plays Carl Casper, an exceptionally talented but unsatisfied head chef at a popular Los Angeles restaurant. After receiving a highly unfavorable review from a prominent food critic mocking his lack of originality, Casper quits his job to reclaim his creative freedom in the kitchen. At the urging of his ex-wife (“Modern Family”’s Sofia Vergara), Casper launches a food truck in Miami with the help of his son Percy and friend (John Leguizamo). Traveling back to Los Angeles through New Orleans and Austin, Texas, the food truck acquires a substantial fan base, thanks to Percy’s innovative use of social media to document the road trip. Predictable yet heartwarming, the road trip sheds light on the importance of family and returning to your roots to achieve a truly rewarding life. With a charming cast including Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey Jr., “Chef” celebrates imagination and work ethic through the most egalitarian of ways: food.
While the charismatic cast serves up generous helpings of humor throughout the film, it is crucial to acknowledge one of the other stars of the film — the photography. As it is a movie about food, “Chef” does not disappoint in its vivid depictions of food preparation.
The preparation of culinary masterpieces ranging from pasta aglio e olio to authentic Cuban sandwiches are given substantial screen time, and the colorful dishes will almost certainly make your stomach growl. As the truck travels across the Southwest, a fusion of flavors including classic New Orleans beignets, Korean BBQ and Mexican fare unite to generate a constantly evolving menu.
In case you were curious, the cast enjoyed all the dishes that appear on screen. As Favreau told Buzzfeed: “We were eating the food…there was nothing that we shot that wasn’t amazing.”
Besides the mouthwatering culinary cinematography, the film includes vibrant shots of a variety of southern American cities, underscoring the unique culture of New Orleans, Miami and Austin.
The soundtrack complements the aesthetically pleasing qualities of the film, and consists of a distinctive blend of Latin jazz and New Orleans jazz and blues.
At the heart of the film, there is a familiar, but nonetheless meaningful emphasis on the importance of chasing your passions and dedicating genuine effort into relationships with your friends and family. Favreau wrote the script in a mere two weeks and it has autobiographical aspects, such as the difficulty of balancing a hectic career with fatherhood and the necessity of doing what you love. While he has worked on a number of blockbuster films, such as the Iron Man trilogy, Favreau made a conscious choice to go “back to the basics” to create “Chef” on a smaller budget, hoping to produce a cinematic masterpiece in a more artistically authentic process.
With its entertaining cast, visually appealing cinematography and meaningful storyline, “Chef” is a delightfully relatable film that is certain to please just about anyone. Leaving us hungry for more, it is guaranteed to make you smile (and feel famished).
– By Megan Waples, Contributing Writer
The Emory Wheel was founded in 1919 and is currently the only independent, student-run newspaper of Emory University. The Wheel publishes weekly on Wednesdays during the academic year, except during University holidays and scheduled publication intermissions.
The Wheel is financially and editorially independent from the University. All of its content is generated by the Wheel’s more than 100 student staff members and contributing writers, and its printing costs are covered by profits from self-generated advertising sales.
I’ll be wathcing tonight, thanks for the article.