On my flight down to Miami for the holiday break, I had downloaded a movie to keep me entertained while in the air. On my parents' suggestion, I went with "Chef."
Jon Favreau is the mind behind this delicious film. He wears many hats for the movie including writer, director, producer and star. No big deal.
In the film he plays Carl Casper, a chef whose creativity has been stifled by the owner of his restaurant (played by Dustin Hoffman). When a food critic (brought to life by Oliver Platt) writes a scathing review of the restaurant, Carl decides to peace out.
At the recommendation of his ex-wife (the vivacious Sofia Vergara) he tries his hand at running a food truck. With the truck, Carl is able to get back to the kind of cooking he loves and he's met with the warmest reception by foodies across the country.
As I just mentioned, Sofia Vergara plays Carl's ex-wife, Inez. In this movie Sofia talks very softly and with hardly any accent. It's so interesting because on "Modern Family" her accent is a huge part of her character. This felt like watching a muted version of her.
Carl shares almost every scene with his ten year old son, Percy. Percy is played by Emjay Anthony, a child actor I haven't seen before. In the movie there's a very cute dynamic between Carl and Percy, where Percy is constantly teaching his dad about social media and how to promote his new business. It was a generational cliche, but cute nonetheless.
Rounding out the cast was the fiery John Leguizamo. He plays Carl's sous chef and brings spice and energy to all of his scenes. I don't know how this is possible, but he seems to be getting younger looking over time.
While the story line was predictable, all of the food styling was just gorgeous. Every scene involving Carl cooking had the brightest, freshest ingredients. I felt like I could smell them through the screen.
"Chef" is not an Oscar caliber film, but it is fun, lively and mouth-watering! If you are looking for a movie to watch while traveling or while curled up under a blanket during this blistering cold, this is a great choice.
Have you rented, streamed or downloaded any movies lately that I should add to my list?
