Chef 2014 (Movie Review)

Dir:  Jon Favreau
Cast: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, Emjay Anthony, John Leguizamo
Dur: 1 hr 40 mins
Rating: 3/5
PG: Plenty of foul language used.

I’ve seen lots of movies depicting particular professions but this was the first time I watched a film centred wholly on a chef. We all like to go to restaurants but very few of us, I suppose, know what goes on in the kitchen. Chef gives us a peek at the world of a professional cook.

Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) is a brilliant chef, touted to be the next-best-thing. He’s great with his hands but is a bit deficient with his heart. Divorce and the pressure of running a kitchen have made him a bit touchy. He escapes his discomfort by losing himself in his work. We’ve heard the saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, and Carl has grown a bit dull. His weekly meetings with his son illustrate the emptiness he feels within. His life takes a turn when an infamous food blogger visits the restaurant he works in and writes a scathing review of the food served. Carl takes it personally and gets into an online spat with the blogger. Things spiral out of control and soon Carl finds himself jobless, dreamless and hopeless.

He embarks on a journey of discovery, egged on by his ex-wife, Inez (Sofia Vergara), and tries to regain his lost passion and happiness, and revive a dying relationship with his son. This journey finds him embracing something he didn’t think much off and the result is thrilling. The movie finishes off on a happy note and we’re all happy to see Carl happy and a whole lot of other people happy, including the food blogger!


Chef is an honest film about a man who is passionate about what he does. The film teaches us quite some things about chasing your dreams, being passionate and committed to what you do, building relationships and prioritizing between work and family. The story is very positive and has the ability to inspire. It’s educational sans the swearing but the plot fails to take off. I wouldn’t watch this one a second time.   

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