Summary
A professional chef offers his review of the 2014 filmChef. Thecooking-centric filmis directed by Jon Favreau, who also stars in the film as nascent food truck owner Carl Casper. The film follows Carl as he quits his esteemed job as a head chef at a restaurant to pursue a passion project of running a food truck, all while trying to piece his estranged family back together. In addition to Favreau,Cheffeatures a talented leading cast including Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Dustin Hoffman, Bobby Cannavale, Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, and Oliver Platt.
A decade after its release,Chefreceives a glowing review from professional chef Paul Liebrandtin hisInsiderinterview. Liebrandt first breaks down a scene wherein Carl is working overnight to prepare his new dish.
The chef deemed this scene realistic, as he believes the overnight time is the time to innovate without the cacophony and hustle of daily cooking responsibilities. Liebrandt went on to analyzeChef’s food critic scene, admitting he himself has had his “run-ins with the critics.” Ultimately,he gave theChefscene an 8 out of 10, with an explanation realized below:
To work overnight on creation, absolutely. You’re doing lunch and dinner during the day, your kitchen’s full of people. You have no time to be creative, so you have an overnight where at least you can have some peace and quiet. And you can focus on ideas, so it actually, yes I’ve done it more than once, yeah.
Yelling at the critic, I respect that. I’ve had my run-ins with the critics. I’ve thrown a few critics out of the restaurant in years gone by. It’s subjective, doesn’t mean it’s bad. But um, you know, the critique thing can be a double-edged sword, is what I would say. I would rate this scene a solid 8 out of 10. I think it’s pretty realistic, yeah.
How Was Chef Received?
The Movie Was Favreau’s Return To Smaller Budget Movies After Iron Man and Cowboys & Aliens
In the food critic scene in question,Favreau’s characteryells expletives at a flippant critic who dislikes his food. The real-life chef Liebrandt had great empathy for this scene, saying “I respect that” in reaction. It is fascinating to see this scene in particular get a good rating from Liebrandt, as it could seem on its face like an over-the-top scene that might be more cinematic than realistic. Even though Carl’s outburst is used for a character beat, its energy seemsnot too far off from the frustration a real chef may feel.
How To Cook All The Recipes In Chef
The website for The Chef Show, a Netflix series inspired by the movie Chef, includes recipes from the movie and show. Here’s how to make all of them.
Liebrandt is not the only to appreciateChef.While the movie’s food critic was nasty, the film critics lovedChefwhen it came out. The Rotten Tomatoes rating hasan87% among critics. Audiences had a similar appreciation for the film, givingChefan 85% approval rating. Critics praised the presentation of its central characters and its commitment to the food environment it depicts. The latter feedback seems additionally valid when reviewed by a real-life chef like Liebrandt.
Chefalso fared decently at the box office during its release. An independent film made on an estimated $11 million budget,Chefultimately took home $48.4 million at the global box office. This was great news for the movie, as it meant that it over quadrupled its budget, making its profit margins sizable. In the decade since its release, it is good to see the well-rated independent film still thriving among critics of all forms.
Chef
Cast
Chef is a road movie written, directed, and starring Jon Favreau, where his character Carl Casper quits his job at a prestigious restaurant and starts a food truck business with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony) and best friend Martin (John Leguizamo). He also receives help from his ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara) and her ex-husband Marvin (Robert Downey Jr.).
