Chef is a savory morsel of a movie. You will
come out of the theater hungry for a cubano sandwich. Jon Favreau’s chef is on
top of his game in Dustin Hoffman’s restaurant. He’s prepared to create the
best meal of his life for a famous Los Angeles food blogger critic. Hoffman
says, “No, prepare the hits people come here to eat.” Alas, the critic (a
pompous Oliver Platt) blasts him for his tired presentations and lazy lava
cake. A social media war escalates and the chef is out of a job.
He takes the advice of his ex-wife, Sofia Vergara, and meets
with her former ex-husband, Robert Downey, Jr (small role that he makes magic
on screen). It’s food truck time, and this turns the movie into a summer road
trip/father son bonding and sizzling food heaven. John Leguziamo, sous-chef,
adds a fun dimension. They kick off the Cubano sandwiches in South Beach, and
there’s no turning back. The son, at age 10, turns out to be the tweeting,
filming, marketing genius. Crowds gather wherever they roll – New Orleans,
Austin, etc. Laughter, love, and memories are made as the boy grows up,
the dad sees his son as a person, and the glory of cooking simmers.
