Chef (2014)

My Review

“Chef” is a comedy-drama film where Jon Favreau plays a celebrity chef who gets fired from his job at a popular Los Angeles restaurant after a public altercation with a food critic. Favreau not only is the star of the show, he is also the director, screenwriter, and producer. He put together a film with good production values, sharp performances, and lucid writing. However, this film with a 114 minute running time was padded with many scenes of food preparation featuring mediocre music. This gave the production a “boring artsy film” feel.

The supporting cast behind Jon Favreau includes Emjay Anthony as his son, Sofia Vergara as his ex-wife, Bobby Cannavale as his assistant chef, Dustin Hoffman as the restaurant owner, Oliver Platt as the food critic, as well as John Leguizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Sedaris, Russell Peters, and Robert Downey Jr. The mixed bag “Chef” was modestly successful at the box office for producer Jon Favreau, Fairview Entertainment, and Open Road Films. It was filmed in Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, and New Orleans.