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Chef (2014 film)

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Chef
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJon Favreau
Written byJon Favreau
Produced byJon Favreau
Karen Gilchrist
Sergei Bespalov
Starring
CinematographyKramer Morgenthau
Edited byRobert Leighton
Production
companies
Fairview Entertainment
Aldamisa Entertainment
Distributed byOpen Road Films
Release dates
  • March 7, 2014 (2014-03-07) (SXSW)
  • May 9, 2014 (2014-05-09) (United States)
Running time
114 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$46 million[2]

Chef is a 2014 American comedy-drama film written, produced, directed by and starring Jon Favreau, and co-starring Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Cannavale, Dustin Hoffman, and Robert Downey, Jr. Favreau plays a professional chef who, after a public altercation with a food critic, quits his job at a popular Los Angeles restaurant and returns to his home town of Miami to fix up a food truck. He reconnects with his ex-wife and invites their young son to join him in driving the truck back to L.A. while selling Cubanos in various cities along the way.

Favreau wrote the script after directing several big-budget films, wanting to go "back to basics" and to create a film about cooking.[3] Food truck owner and chef Roy Choi served as a co-producer and oversaw all of the menus and food prepared for the film. Principal photography took place in July 2013 in Los Angeles, Miami, Austin and New Orleans. Chef premiered at South by Southwest on March 7, 2014 and was released theatrically on May 9, 2014 by Open Road Films. It grossed over US$45 million at the box office and was well received by critics.

Plot

Miami-born Carl Casper is the head chef of Gauloise in Brentwood, California. While popular with his kitchen staff and hostess Molly, the restaurant owner Riva wants Carl to stick to tired "classics" rather than let him try innovative dishes. Carl, feeling he needs to perfect his menus in order to impress Riva, has a strained relationship with his tech-savvy preteen son Percy, and ex-wife mother Inez to reminds him of his responsibilities.

When Carl has a chance to prove his true talents during a visit from prestigious critic and blogger Ramsey Michel, Riva forces him to change his new tasting menu at the last minute, and Michel gives him an unfavorable review. On Twitter, Carl angrily invites Ramsay to a "rematch", not realizing that his reply is public. His actions lead to a confrontation with Riva, causing Carl to walk out, with his sous-chef Tony taking over Carl's position as head of the kitchen. The power shift in turn makes line-cook Martin questions his own position in the suddenly restructured kitchen. At home, Carl prepares the menu he wanted to serve to Ramsey while at the restaurant Ramsey is served exactly the same menu as the previous evening. As Carl reads Ramsey's live-tweets of the meal as each course arrives, he comes to the restaurant and in a fit of anger proceeds to publicly humiliate both Ramsey and himself before quitting for good.

The negative publicity turns Carl into a social media sensation, as videos featuring his meltdown have gone viral and are even featured on Tosh.O. While the entertainment factor is high, Carl's professional credibility and job possibilities evaporate due to the furor over his rant; despite Carl's insistence that he will not be 'reduced' to running a food truck, Molly (along with Inez) begs him to reconsider because he has been miserable working for Riva and he won't be truly happy and fulfilled until he is both owner and head-chef, an opportunity he would have running a gourmet food truck. Upon grudgingly accepting Inez' invitation to Miami to help her look after Percy while she is in business meetings, Carl has the chance to spend quality time with Percy and rediscover his love for Cuban cuisine - while not necessarily the cutting edge of the culinary world, Carl knows that classics made with true love and passion are just as meaningful dining experiences, and so reconsiders the food-truck option. Inez's ex-husband Marvin offers him a food truck, and Carl reluctantly accepts.

In an effort to rediscover his culinary passion, Carl restores the broken-down food truck with Percy who is frustrated by his father's gruffness but slowly their bond is fortified, particularly when they go shopping for equipment for the truck and Carl buys Percy his very own chef's knife. Joining them as a sous-chef is Martin, his friend from the Gauloise, who turned down his promotion in order to work with Carl who is once again an exuberant and passionate chef. Together, the three work as a team in the newly opened El Jefe food-truck (after Martin's nickname for Carl, 'el jefe' being Spanish for 'boss'), and serves top quality Cubanos, a form of Cuban sandwich along with yucca fries. The two chefs show Percy the ropes of working in a professional kitchen, and decide to drive the food truck across the country back to Los Angeles. On the trip across the country Percy finds ways to promote the food truck on social media websites, and the food truck becomes successful in cities along the way, in New Orleans and then Austin, Texas, where the daily specials include items made with local ingredients such as po' boys and barbecued brisket.

Back in Los Angeles, Carl fully realizes the importance of having a relationship with his son and offers him a job in the truck, working after school and on weekends with his pay going into his education savings account. His ex-wife Inez soon joins the team and Ramsey Michel visits Carl again, this time offering to bankroll a new restaurant based on the concept of El Jefe. Michel recognizes that Carl's food is good when he does something he wants to do, thus giving him full control of the menu for the new restaurant. Six months later, the new restaurant is a huge hit, and closed for a private event: Carl and Inez's remarriage.

Cast

Production

Jon Favreau wrote, directed and starred in Chef.
Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel
Versailles restaurant interior
Scenes in Miami were filmed at the Fontainebleau Hotel (top) and the Versailles restaurant (bottom).

On April 25, 2013, Variety announced that Jon Favreau would be directing, writing, and starring in his next comedy project, titled Chef.[4] On June 12, 2013, it was announced that Open Road Films had acquired Chef's U.S. distribution rights while Aldamisa Entertainment would finance and produce the film.[5]

Conception

Jon Favreau, the writer, director and star of Chef, wrote the film's script in about two weeks.[6] He had long wanted to make a film about food and chefs, and felt that the subject was suited to a small-scale independent film rather than a big-budget production.[6][7] He cited Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Eat Drink Man Woman and Big Night as inspirations for creating a food-centric film.[7] The script was semi-autobiographical, incorporating parts of Favreau's life into the main character, such as being a father while having a busy career and coming from a "broken home".[6] Favreau also drew a comparison between his career as a director and Carl's career as a chef in the film, noting that he stepped down from directing major studio films to go "back to basics" and create Chef on a smaller budget, much like Carl's resignation from a popular restaurant to work in a food truck.[3]

Favreau contacted Roy Choi, a restaurateur who created the Kogi Korean BBQ food truck, to serve as a consultant on the film; Choi was eventually promoted to co-producer. While the film was in pre-production, Favreau shadowed Choi in his restaurants and worked as part of Choi's kitchen crew after training at a culinary school.[7] Choi oversaw all of the menus prepared for the film and created the Cuban sandwiches that formed a central part of the storyline.[8]

Casting

In addition to Favreau, the first actors cast in main roles were Sofía Vergara, John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale. It was announced that Robert Downey, Jr.—whom Favreau had previously directed in two Iron Man films—had joined the cast in May 2013.[9] Scarlett Johansson and Dustin Hoffman were cast later that month.[10][11] Favreau felt that the film's casting was one of its biggest successes, which provided him with "a tremendous amount of confidence"; in particular, he was impressed by Emjay Anthony, who was ten years old at the time of filming.[3]

Filming

Principal photography of the film began in July 2013 in Los Angeles.[12] Subsequent filming took place in Miami, Austin and New Orleans—cities that Favreau chose to work into the story because they all "possess a rich food and music culture".[13] Specific filming locations in Miami included the Versailles restaurant, the Fontainebleau Hotel, and the Cuban restaurant Hoy Como Ayer in Little Havana.[14][15] In New Orleans, some scenes were filmed at Café du Monde in the city's French Quarter.[16] All food prepared for the shoot was eaten by members of the cast and crew after filming had finished.[7]

Soundtrack

A Chef soundtrack was released by Milan Records on May 6, 2014, three days before the film's release.[17] The soundtrack is a combination of Latin jazz, New Orleans jazz and blues, which serve as background to the storyline as it moves through Miami, New Orleans and Austin, respectively.[18] The film's music was chosen by music supervisor Mathieu Schreyer,[19] while the incidental music was scored by Lyle Workman.[17]

Track listing[17]
No.TitleArtistsLength
1."I Like It Like That"Pete Rodriguez4:25
2."Lucky Man"Courtney John3:16
3."A Message to You, Rudy"Grant Phabao, Carlton Livingston and Lone Ranger (musician)5:50
4."Cavern"Liquid Liquid5:17
5."C.R.E.A.M"El Michels Affair2:54
6."Hung Over"The Martinis2:07
7."Que Se Sepa"Roberto Roena3:14
8."Ali Baba"Louie Ramirez4:16
9."Homenaje al Benny (Castellano Que Bueno Balia Usted)"Gente de Zona4:00
10."Mi Swing Es Tropical"Quantic & Nickodemus3:56
11."Bustin' Loose"Rebirth Brass Band3:55
12."Sexual Healing"Hot 8 Brass Band4:59
13."When My Train Pulls In"Gary Clark Jr.7:13
14."West Coast Poplock"Ronnie Hudson And The Street People5:29
15."Oye Como Va"Perico Hernandez4:06
16."La Quimbumba"Perico Hernandez6:05
17."One Second Every Day"Lyle Workman2:22
Charts
Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[20] 96
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[21] 94
US Billboard 200[22] 160
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[22] 22
US Top Soundtracks (Billboard)[22] 5

Release

Chef premiered on March 7, 2014 at South by Southwest, where it was the opening film of the festival and was attended by Favreau, Leguizamo, Anthony, and Platt.[23] It was subsequently screened at the Tribeca Film Festival in April.[7] On August 19, Open Road Films announced to re-release the film nationally on August 29 for a Labor Day weekend, which would grow 100 screens to 600-800.[24]

Box office

The film was released theatrically on May 9, 2014, beginning in limited release in six theaters and expanding throughout May and June to a peak of 1,298 theaters.[25] Its total gross in the United States as of November 2, 2014 is $31.4 million.[2]

Outside of the U.S., Chef performed best in Australia (earning $2.8 million), the United Kingdom & Spain ($2.6 million in each country) and Mexico (earning a little over $1 million). In total, Chef has grossed almost $15 million outside America.[26]

Critical response

Reviews for Chef have been very positive. On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a "certified fresh" rating of 88%, based on 151 reviews, with the site's consensus summarizing: "Chef's charming cast and sharp, funny script add enough spice to make this feel-good comedy a flavorful—if familiar—treat."[27] Metacritic gave the film a score of 68 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[28]

Rolling Stone's Peter Travers gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, describing it as "an artful surprise and an exuberant gift" and "deliciously entertaining, comic, touching and often bitingly true".[29] Ty Burr of the Boston Globe also awarded the film 3.5 out of 4 stars; he thought it was "funny and heartfelt" and that, despite its weaknesses, the strengths "overpower the parts of the meal that are undercooked".[30] Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper gave Chef 3 out of 4 stars, finding it "funny, quirky and insightful, with a bounty of interesting supporting characters" but also noting the lack of plot and character development in some parts.[31] Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times gave particular praise to the "terrific supporting cast" and the script's lack of cliché, such as in its presentation of family dynamics.[32] Joe Leydon from Variety found the film's plot predictable and slow-paced, but noted "the trip itself is never less than pleasant, and often extremely funny".[33] The New York Times' Stephen Holden described Chef as "aggressively feel-good" and "shallow but enjoyable".[34] Michael O'Sullivan of The Washington Post gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars and found it "deeply satisfying, down to the soul", praising the "incredible" food photography, the "colorful supporting cast" and the "wryly observant" humor.[35] San Francisco Chronicle film critic Mick LaSalle opined that Chef was Favreau's best film to date, highlighting the "natural and convincing" chemistry between Favreau and Anthony and the "vivid" scenes featuring big-name actors in small roles.[36] USA Today's Scott Bowles gave Chef 3.5 out of 4 stars and called it "a nuanced side dish, a slow-cooked film that's one of the most heartwarming of the young year".[37] Ken Choy of Wide Lantern noted the structural problems but admitted, "If you ever saw the Kristen Bell sloth video on Ellen, that was me during the entire 2nd half of the movie. Non-stop tears. It was happy-crying because Favreau’s character was doing what he wanted.".[38] Washington Post's Michael O'Sullivan raves, "There’s nothing terribly profound about “Chef.” But its message — that relationships, like cooking, take a hands-on approach — is a sweet and sustaining one." [39]

Slant Magazine critic Chris Cabin, however, gave Chef 1.5 out of 4 stars and described it as Favreau's "most self-satisfied, safe, and compromised film to date", chiefly criticizing the film's lack of realism and credibility.[40] Writing for The Village Voice, Amy Nicholson agreed that the storyline was implausible and summarized the film as "so charmingly middlebrow that it's exactly the cinematic comfort food it mocks".[41] Indiewire's Eric Kohn opined that with Chef, "Favreau has no sweeping thematic aims", and that the end product was a "self-indulgent vanity project".[42]

References

  1. ^ "CHEF (15)". British Board of Film Classification. May 1, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "Chef: Summary". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  3. ^ a b c Baker, Jeff (May 26, 2014). "Jon Favreau's wild Hollywood ride from 'Swingers' to 'Iron Man' and 'Chef': interview". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  4. ^ Kroll, Justin (April 25, 2013). "Jon Favreau Cooks Up Indie 'Chef' as Next Project". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  5. ^ "Open Road Acquires U.S. Rights To Jon Favreau's 'Chef'". Deadline.com. June 12, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  6. ^ a b c Abramovitch, Seth (March 7, 2014). "SXSW: Jon Favreau Says 'Chef' Marks Return to 'Swingers'-Style Filmmaking (Q&A)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  7. ^ a b c d e Fox, Jesse David (May 10, 2014). "Talking to Jon Favreau About Chef, Returning to Indies, and Maintaining a Vision Inside Blockbusters". New York. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  8. ^ Settembre, Jeannette (May 4, 2014). "Jon Favreau learns some lessons behind the line in 'Chef' thanks to food truck master Roy Choi". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  9. ^ McNary, Dave (May 10, 2013). "Robert Downey Jr. Reunites With Jon Favreau on 'Chef'". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  10. ^ Ford, Rebecca (May 15, 2013). "Scarlett Johansson Joins Jon Favreau's 'Chef'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  11. ^ Kroll, Justin (July 15, 2013). "Dustin Hoffman Boards Jon Favreau's 'Chef'". Variety. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  12. ^ McNary, Dave (June 12, 2014). "Jon Favreau's 'Chef' Set For U.S. Distribution with Open Road". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  13. ^ Wood, Jennifer M. (May 8, 2014). "On Location with 'Chef' Director Jon Favreau in Miami, Austin, and New Orleans". Condé Nast Traveler. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  14. ^ "Jon Favreau's Chef Film Is Shooting in Miami". Eater. August 13, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  15. ^ "Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara Filming Chef in Miami This Week". Miami New Times. August 13, 2013. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  16. ^ Scott, Mike (May 22, 2014). "Jon Favreau's New Orleans: 'Chef' director embraces sounds, flavors of the Crescent City in his film". The Times-Picayune. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  17. ^ a b c "'Chef' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. April 20, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  18. ^ Leas, Ryan (May 30, 2014). "The Best Soundtrack Moments Of May 2014: Chef, X-Men, Filth, & More". Stereogum. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  19. ^ Hallock, Betty (May 12, 2014). "'Chef' star Jon Favreau, Roy Choi to host El Jefe pop-up at Pot on Thursday". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  20. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 22 September 2014" (PDF) (1282). Pandora Archive. September 23, 2014. Retrieved September 26, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  21. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Soundtrack – Chef". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  22. ^ a b c "Chef Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 24, 2014.
  23. ^ Valby, Karen (March 8, 2014). "SXSW: Fest opens with world premiere of Jon Favreau's 'Chef'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  24. ^ "'Chef' Cooks Up Awards Plan With Labor Day Weekend Re-Release". deadline.com. August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  25. ^ "Chef: Weekly". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  26. ^ "Chef: Foreign". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  27. ^ "Chef". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
  28. ^ "Chef". Metacritic. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  29. ^ Travers, Peter (May 8, 2014). "Chef". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  30. ^ Burr, Ty (May 15, 2014). "Cooking from the heart in 'Chef'". Boston Globe. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  31. ^ Roeper, Richard (May 15, 2014). "'Chef': A funny story, then a long dinner break". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  32. ^ Goldstein, Gary (May 8, 2014). "Jon Favreau's 'Chef' has all the ingredients for a hit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  33. ^ Leydon, Joe (March 8, 2014). "SXSW Film Review: 'Chef'". Variety. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  34. ^ Holden, Stephen (May 8, 2014). "Man in the Kitchen Is Hungry for Love". The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  35. ^ O'Sullivan, Michael (May 15, 2014). "'Chef' movie review: Jon Favreau makes a satisfying return to his indie roots". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  36. ^ LaSalle, Mick (May 15, 2014). "'Chef' review: A first-class meal". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  37. ^ Bowles, Scott (May 8, 2014). "'Chef' melds ingredients for a fine family comedy". USA Today. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
  38. ^ http://widelantern.com/2014/10/chef-cooks-up-faves/
  39. ^ http://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/chef-movie-review-jon-favreau-makes-a-satisfying-return-to-his-indie-roots/2014/05/14/08f3ec38-db7d-11e3-bda1-9b46b2066796_story.html
  40. ^ Cabin, Chris (April 23, 2014). "Chef". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  41. ^ Nicholson, Amy (May 7, 2014). "With Chef, Jon Favreau Whips Up Indie Comfort Food". The Village Voice. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  42. ^ Kohn, Eric (March 8, 2014). "SXSW Review: Is Jon Favreau's 'Chef' a Return to Indie Form? Only In the Context of His Own Career". Indiewire. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
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