Fish and Cherries Productions

Chef grabbed me from the very first shot and continued to take me on a wonderful journey. As someone who enjoys cooking, the shots focusing on making food (which the internet calls “food porn”) were right up my alley, but there was so much more to love, especially the dynamic between Carl, played by Jon Favreau, and his son as their relationship continues to evolve. Creative types will be able to connect and learn from a lot of things in this movie, like satisfaction on the job, dealing with harsh criticism, and the danger of getting so sucked into your work that you lose touch with those closest to you. Carl goes through all of these and while he isn’t the most likable person at first, you really start feeling for him at some point or another. Another standout moment is the technology gap between the adults and the kids and how it’s used to further the plot in more ways than the traditional “those darn kids” route. But my favorite part had to be John Legguizamo’s character, who was the likable and fun best friend and surrogate uncle. Every scene with him was just a delight. There are only two nitpicks I have: most of the side characters in the beginning don’t come back or pay off later in the movie and the final scene left me feeling a little strange, like it felt good, but I’m wondering if it wasn’t a bit underdeveloped. Overall, though, it was a really great experience. I think this deserves just as much recognition than the standard blockbuster, even if more people probably went to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes on the weekend they both opened. And if you want to know what I thought of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, well…