Chef

The beginning may look classically plotted, but that's only to set off some sort of dramatic arc as quickly as possible so that the food can be fully escalated. Piles of food, mountains of food, unreal food. Of course, I didn't underestimate this and before the film started I was so full I still had spaghetti hanging out of my mouth. It almost wasn't enough, because Favreau supplies a sometimes almost promotional food fetish with documentary leanings (a visit to a super slow meat-smoking establishment), which actually shifts the whole plot, family, and all of it into a groove of irrelevance throughout. Anyway, none of this would work if it didn't have such well-written main characters. (15.06.2015)

Delicious. The cooking scenes are filmed dynamically and the food smiles up from the plates at us. It make you think about it as something more than just fuel. Chop an onion, take a big Texas steak, spread mustard on it. Mmmm. I’m dusting off my idea of enrolling in a cookery course. Favreau made a classic relationships movie crossed with road movie and father and son finding their way back to each other via the beauty of cooking. The acting was really effective (and the better-known names had just minor roles) and a laid-back atmosphere reigns from start to finish. (16.11.2014)

This film flew under my radar, but it’s definitely enjoyable and entertaining show. Jon Favreau is very good as a chef, and even though it's more about the relationship between father and son, the cooking comes through and it's very nice to watch. The icing on the cake is the gorgeous Sofia Vergara and the hilarious verbal shootout with the renowned critic. 7/10: (12.12.2019)

It’s been a long time any movie put me in such a good mood as Chef did. The story is exactly my cup of tea – full of food and good people. By these good people I mean especially the person behind this movie – Jon Favreau, and his buddy John Leguizamo. The latter once again proved his comedic talent, reminding me why I like him so much. Together they created a great duo, which complemented each other perfectly in the story that kept up its pace until the very end. After I finished watching it, I became so ravenous that even though I don’t usually cook, I made myself such a delicious dinner that even Jon would be envious. (21.11.2014)

I guess I’ve seen way too many cooking shows and films about chefs, so I just wasn’t impressed. The only thing that surprised me was that I didn’t find the boy in the role of Carl's son irritating. I would have given it four stars, if the story hadn’t progressed in such a predictable way towards its oh-so-happy ending. Well, at least I enjoyed Sofia Vergara's presence, and Scarlett Johansson was arranged on the couch in a delicate yet delicious way. (02.01.2019)