Thoughts on... Jon Favreau's Chef
Chef is a simple film with a simple script paired with a small cast that
provides simple, but nonetheless stellar, straightforward acting. It is a
remarkably heart-warming movie, touching in its simplicity and sincerity. It is
also, food porn.
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Although the cast is small, it features big names like Dustin
Hoffman, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, John Leguizamo and Sofia
Vergara. All of them gave understated and down-to-earth performances that shifted
the film up a few notches. Worth mentioning is Vergara, well known for her role
as the heavily accented, loudmouth and animated Gloria in the TV series Modern Family. In Chef, Vergara is a picture of composed calm; gone are the wild
gesticulations and she never speaks louder than necessary, which is befitting
of her role as a successful professional (although we never did find out what her
profession is) and a supportive ex-wife. She also downplayed her sultry-curvaceous-glam-goddess
image and it makes her infinitely more human (albeit a smoking hot one), relatable
and intimate. It also made her past marriage to Favreau’s character, Carl Casper,
that much more convincing. John Leguizamo also gave an amazing turn as the
supportive colleague-cum-best buddy, who stuck with Carl all the way. Besides
the big names, it is especially ticklish to see Russell Peters in a short
appearance as a cop.
Of course, the talented cast does not detract from the main course,
the FOOD. Scenes after scenes of food porn; veggies chopped in a fantastically speedy
yet save manner, dousing slabs of raw meat in bright spices and sauces,
sizzling meat that continues to sizzle after it leaves the stove, sprinkling of
condiments high above the plates of food, pasta perfectly coiled and positioned
on the plate, bubbling hot olive oil. I salivated through all those. If you
enjoy watching cooking programmes or Masterchef,
you will definitely enjoy Chef. The
depiction feels honest and authentic, not romanticised or vain.
Another point that I’d like to highlight is that Chef not only emphasizes on Carl’s passion
for food and cooking, but also on the human/social aspect that comes with the
enterprise. What is highlighted, alongside the glorious renditions of food
preparation/cooking/plating, is that Carl cooks for people and eats with them – his son, Molly the maître d, his
ex-wife, his fellow cooks. Favreau does not isolate the cooking, but recognizes
that it is a shared passion between cooks and the people who eat. To bring it
onto another level, Favreau pitched cooking with social media as well. Chef is a multi-layered film; about one
man’s love for cooking and how that affected his personal relationships as well
as his relationship with social media and its users. The clever incorporation
of social media will identify with today’s viewers and conveys the idea that it
is no longer just about the chef and the food critic, but also about the people
who eats (the customers). It shares the pitfalls and dangers of social media,
but also how useful it could be.
Overall, Chef is a
feel-good no-frills film that warms the cockles of my heart. Yes, the film is
designed to be a crowd-pleaser, and yes, the big names are a big draw, and yes yes,
food is shamelessly used as bait (at its scintillating best), but it is still
an excellent watch.
Be warned though. You may suffer from side effects while watching
the film, namely hunger, uncontrolled salivation and increased heart activity.
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