I have always found Jon Favreau to be both a very interesting filmmaker and actor. Elf, Made and Swingers are three films I have a very special place in my heart for. Favreau has also proven to be a good action director with Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Zathura: A Space Adventure. His latest film, Chef is a comedy in which he writes, directs and stars and my personal prediction is that Favreau will be remembered for this film. This is not on par with a film that its director is remembered for like Apocalypse Now or Alien but that can be explained by the fact that Favreau had less tools to work with here. This film is definitely made with the same level of passion and delicacy that those films were made with, however and that's what makes this great.
In the film, Favreau plays Carl Casper, a chef whose passion for food is unmatched and goes unappreciated by the owner of the restaurant (Dustin Hoffman) at which he works as well as a snooty food critic (Oliver Platt) with whom Carl lashes out on. Carl decides to quit the restaurant game and leave in charge Tony (Bobby Cannavale) to start a food truck. He gets a food truck from his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara)'s ex-husband (Robert Downey, JR.) Joining him is his old work buddy, Martin (John Leguizamo) and estranged son Percy (Emjay Anthony.)
The performances all around are top notch. Favreau, often known for playing the jerk, perfectly balances a man with intense passion for food who also wants to share his passion with his son. Hoffman plays the restaurant owner with a pitch perfect uptight nature. Cannavale, Vergara and Downey, JR provide some really good back up. Platt makes some fantastic moments with little screen time. The two stand outs, however, are Leguizamo and Anthony. Leguizamo, an actor who I have admired for quite some time now, knocks it out of the park with one of the most charming and realistic performances of his career (which says something when it's referring to Leguizamo.) Child actor Anthony proves to be an up and coming talent whose career is just beginning. In fact, upon watching this film I was convinced that Anthony had to have been in some other stuff since he gives such a wonderful performance. Upon doing a bit of research on the Internet Movie Database, I found that he was in the 2007 Meryl Streep-Steve Martin comedy It's Complicated, which is a film I have forgotten everything about. Anthony also appeared on the recently cancelled Greg Kinnear Fox comedy Rake. This comes as no shock since this kid obviously has a great future ahead of him.
The film is also wonderfully written and directed by Favreau. The dialogue crackles and the film's ultimate message of making sure whatever your career and/or hobby is, you should do it for you and not anyone else is a wonderful and important message. Also, the film is directed with multiple lingering shots of food being prepared and touched up. This would be an annoying technique to use except Favreau does it so well and with such apparent passion for the subject that it won't annoy audiences so much as it will give them a warm feeling.
In the dry spell of recent releases that seem to have been dug out of a dumpster, Chef is a more than welcome surprise. This is a delightful comedy that takes its time to tell a wonderful and touching story. Favreau has proven himself as an excellent person both in front of and behind the cameras in the past but this confirms him as a filmmaker and actor who is a force to be reckoned with.
(4 and 1/2 out of 5 Stars, The film is rated R for language, include some suggestive references)
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