Chef is a movie for anyone who loves food and loves cooking. No surprises there. But if you like watching competent people in the kitchen make food that looks incredible, Iโm not sure any other movie competes.
The cast is fantastic. Favreau and Leguizamo are great, but every role, big or small received the same careful attention. Oliver Platt, Amy Sedaris, and Bobby Cannavale are stand outs.
Despite the call outs to Vine, the idea that Twitter is novel and hard to understand, or the skepticism of food trucks that firmly place Chef in its time, the movie hardly feels dated. Itโs a classic storyโ middle-aged man who has lost his way and neglected his family rediscovering himself and rebuilding his relationship with his son along the way.
But hereโs the thingโ if you make a movie that has beautiful cooking and shows off Cubanos, beignets, and brisket from Franklinโs? Iโm going to show up. And in this year, when I havenโt been able to travel to these places that I went every year to eat the food that makes those places special… damn that hits.