Chef

My Grade:  B

It’s not common to find a feel good comedy that is rated R. Well, I found one in Chef written and directed by Jon Favreau who also stars as the titular chef. Yes, this is the guy that directed the somewhat cheesy Christmas comedy Elf as well as the first two installments in Marvel’s massive Iron Man franchise. That’s quite the varied filmography which also includes raunchy comedies like Made and, one of my favorites, Swingers. Chef is a decidedly different brand of rated R comedy than his previous efforts. Mostly because the only thing giving it an R rating is language (which is far more mild than most R rated films out these days). It’s almost a family film... almost.

Favreau plays Carl Casper, a head chef at a reasonably high end restaurant who no longer gets to add his own style and creativity to his food. When a popular food critic blasts his food, Carl learns about Twitter and what “going viral” means when he is on the losing end of an embarrassing viral video. He loses his job but starts his own food truck (funded by his estranged wife’s ex-husband... awkward) and finds joy in cooking and, more importantly, in life once again.

The story isn’t anything groundbreaking but it feels good and is fun. It helps that the cast is having a blast on screen together. The chemistry really shines through when they are on the food truck feeding the masses. Also, it features a breakout performance from Emjay Anthony who is only 11 but plays Carl’s son like a pro. He is funny, vulnerable, and has a blast with his on-screen dad. He steals most scenes he’s in and even helps tug at the heartstrings during the more emotional scenes. Look out for him as he gets older and takes on more roles!

The really cool thing about this story is how it integrates social media in the business of Carl’s food truck. In today’s viral market, small businesses must have a presence on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, etc. in order to reach a large enough customer base to thrive. And I have never seen that captured so perfectly in a film until Chef. More importantly, the way it is integrated into the story isn’t in a hokey anecdotal way; it actually helps drive the action.

The other notable thing is Robert Downey Jr.’s cameo. This is no long an actor that just does cameos. If he is in a movie, he’s the lead or at least a second lead. It doesn’t come as a huge surprise, though, because he and Favreau have become friends; but it’s still interesting to see him pop up in one surprising and hilarious scene, then back off for the rest of the actors to shine. I enjoyed it.

Overall, Chef is a rare, R rated, feel good comedy and it is a joy. It doesn’t even fall into the predictable tropes of these kinds of comedies which is refreshing. Some scenes do go on too long or seem tacked on just to get a laugh which isn’t there, but it’s not enough to ruin the other positive things this film has to offer. When a scene does nothing to further the plot or contribute to character, it should end up on the cutting room floor. Some scenes which belong on that cutting room floor found their way into the film making it a little long but still a solid film with a strong heartbeat to accompany the consistent laughs.