Food in Film: CHEF

It’s fantastic for my brand when I get to cover a Foodie Film. For years I’ve been saying I’m going to go back and re-watch movies like Big Night, Chocolate, Soul Food and others and write about them so they exist on Tinsel & Tine, still, some how, I’ve yet to get around to it.

Not the case with Jon Favreau’s (writer, director, lead) succulent new film Chef  this one’s on my front burner. I’ve gotten a chance to see it twice already! What’s great is, the second screening proved to me I really do love the film on its own merit, and not because it’s a foodie movie, or because I took a day off from work to see the first screening, or because it features Food Trucks and Social Media, two things I’m in to.  No, it’s because Favreau understands good scenes. Good scenes with fun actors…

like Scarlett Johansson, who plays Molly a hot hostess (btw, loved her look in the movie, like a 1960’s Mod Barbie doll) Molly and Chef Casper (Favreau) have a little thing going on, but  instead of showing them having sex, they show him cooking her a mouthwatering garlic and oil type pasta dish as she waits hungrily for it, poised on the bed with one shoulder and a little thigh peeking out of her LBD.

like Sophia Vergara who plays the Chef’s, successful, alluring ex-wife, who you know still cares for him despite the divorce, the familiarity between the two of them feels so authentic.

like Robert Downey, Jr (Favreau’s Iron Man partner in crime) who makes a high energy, sterile bootie wearing cameo in the movie – nutty and sexy, just the way I like em.

like John Leguizamo who plays Martin, the prep chef turned Cubano Food Truck partner, these two guys have a real bond over their sheer love of food – it’s a perfectly seasoned relationship.

like EmJay Anthony who plays Chef Casper’s son Percy, this young actor is going to be a teenage heartthrob in another year or two. Much of the movie centers around the father/son relationship, and how much they learn from each other. There’s a subtle lesson in the movie about just being with your child, and letting them into your world.

But the real star of the film is all the food preparation, every other scene made me groan with want of everything up on that screen!  Particularly the perfectly roasted and rubbed brisket, the crispy fat of the pork belly, sizzling bacon and the much ballyhooed Chocolate Lava Cake.

I’m not going to give a full synopsis of #Chef (@ChefTheFilm)  – Just go and enjoy the Twitter wars, YouTube meltdowns, a Food Truck road trip, Critical Food Blogger and a perfect ending.

T &T’s LAMB Score: 5 out 5

Comments are now being directed to Tinsel & Tine’s facebook post on the movie!

Around the Web

…a lot of the credit goes to LA food truck pioneer Roy Choi.

The actor/director goes on: “I went with him in his car to every one of his restaurants – like a ride-along if you’re doing a cop movie,” said Favreau. “He explained to me everything he was doing and seeing. He would try the meat; I would try the meat. He would taste a dish; I would taste a dish. At the end of day I couldn’t move from eating all the food.” More importantly, said Favreau, they decided to work together…READ MORE  LA Eater.com 

…
“An
animated Twitter field pops up above a character as they consider a
tweet, kind of like a thought bubble. When they decide to send it, the
company’s bird logo flies off the screen, accompanied by a birdlike
whistling sound — a literal tweet.”… Twitter didn’t pay for this. Favreau says he was approached by a number of companies for product placement and only accepted King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. Favreau says he just wanted to tell a modern story. The Twitter folks must be thrilled… READ MORE Tonya Garcia PR Newser

Favreau: I wanted my character (Chef Carl Casper) to share a unique experience with his son as they traveled cross-country. I wanted each city that we stopped in to possess a rich food and music culture… I had spent some time in Miami, in Little Havana, when I was shooting Iron Man 3; that’s what inspired me to write the sequence that takes place there. I loved the music and the food and it’s the best place to buy a guayabera…READ MORE Jeniffer M. Wood The Daily Traveler

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