When you pry open the core of Chef; there lie three things. Food, Love and the Internet.
The film is perfectly average, but endearing nonetheless. Perhaps it is the unspectacular nature of the film that bolsters it to become such a cosy watch.
The exposition is clean and simple. Carl Casper played by Favreau is big, bold and boisterous. His personality takes up space, and this is reflected in the constant quips people make about his weight as well - bringing a visual and logical tandem. Twenty minutes in, his dynamics are presented as they are. Be it the distant love with his son, the strong bond between his chefs, especially Martin, or even just the general lack of work-life balance in his life.
These dynamics drive the deeply human centre of the story. Within every relationship lies a conflict that has been bubbling up for years on end. These conflicts are planted to make Casper struggle and grow. His last straw, when his owner decides to fire him, acts as a wonderful inciting incident to move the story forward. A key difference between Favreau’s Chef and its Hindi remake lies in the fact that the former didn’t need to rely on melodrama to pack an emotional punch. But, something that both films interweave almost seamlessly, is the food and music. The love for food in this film is evident.
The shots of the food are visually striking and are always accompanied by a variety of music - ranging from Latin jazz to soul, funk and blues. There’s a reverence presented towards food. But, at the same time, it opens up the most visceral part of the human psyche, in a sense. One standout scene was when Carl was cooking pasta for Molly, played by Scarlet Johansson. It’s hinted that they’re attracted to each other. It’s hinted that they want to sleep with each other. But what seals the deal? Pasta. A new-age aphrodisiac, if you may.
Another director who very deftly introduces food to lure the audience in emotionally is Quentin Tarantino. Just take a look at the Strudel Scene in Inglorious Basterds or the Big Kahuna Burger scene in Pulp Fiction! The audience’s temptations are aroused, only to take them off guard by the immediate violence.
Despite not possessing the same goal, Chef achieves to allure the audience through its food. What makes this allure so convincing, is also its deep connection to the culture attached to it, and the relationships that surround it. It was when Carl’s ex-wife Inez (played by Sofia Vergara) complimented his Cubano sandwiches while dining at a Cuban restaurant, did it all click for him. And isn’t that how people fall in love with food? A comfort dish that their mother cooked for them when they were young, now brimming with nostalgia. Or, perhaps, spaghetti that their older sister used to get from a cheap Italian place, laced with memories. But, this connection enables Carl to move past his prejudice against food trucks and cook for the sake of cooking again. And that perfectly encapsulates the overarching theme of the film - Cooking as a form of self-expression!
The food truck presents itself as a vehicle of freedom, innovation and growth. The father-son scenes capture this essence wonderfully, and it’s all thanks to Favreau and Emjay Anthony’s intriguing dynamic. If we speak about acting, it is well-rounded overall, with standout performances by Jon Favreau and Sofia Vergara. A note of appreciation for Sofia, what impeccable comic timing! Emjay Anthony as Percy also pulls his weight in the film, playing up the precocious kid trope to a T, but always keeping his childlike wonder intact.
The technical aspects work. The editing is tight, and the cinematography is efficient. The abrupt cuts add to the lightness of the film. The set design is great - especially when it comes to showing the contrast between Inez’s expansive (yet isolating) house, and Carl’s dirty, washed-out white house. Another aspect that makes the film so charming is its integration of the advent of smartphones, and the internet at large. It acts as a major force in Carl’s downfall in the beginning, only to pick his career back up, when Percy creates a Facebook account for their food truck. These tiny details cement Chef as a product of its time, but that never takes away from how enjoyable the film is. Moreover, the montages that play via the Facebook posts, are quite possibly the most distinctly 2014 thing a film could have done. And how adorable it is! Films like Sideways, and even Vikas Bahl’s Queen released around the same time, utilised this home-video-but-not-quite montage sequence in all earnestness. Coming back to the premise of the film.
Imagine working with your ex-wife’s ex-husband to revive your dying career. How absurd is that! But it works, and this is largely thanks to how tight the script was. It seems relatable, funny, and never out of the realm of reality. The story resonates because it feels like an experience everyone goes through. For example, Percy unconsciously imbibing so much information about food through his dad just makes sense. Because that’s how we function as people! Habits, interests and tastes pass onto us from our loved ones and we barely even notice it. But Chef takes the time to appreciate it. These subtleties enable us to turn this film into reality, despite its out-of-touch moments.