Jul 03 2014 08:07 PM
Jon Favreau writes, directs, and stars in the title role, as a successful but burnt-out high-end LA chef. He saboutages his career by picking a fight with a food critic and some hyjinx attempt to ensue as he attempts to revitalize his career and re-connect with his son. Son is played by, I think, the same kid who was in Lego Movie, so he's like got a sweet spot as the kid who redeems semi-lousy, self-absorbed dads. (I checked this out. Different kid.)
Anyhow, I have similar problems that I had with Lego Movie, in that this was a spirited movie, but it's execution just wasn't true to that spirit, the scenes feeling served up as cliched and predictable as the menu items he was tired of cooking. That's bad, isn't it? But maybe it's me. The people around me were certainly ooohing and aahing and laughing and cackling. I didn't feel it. Narrative arc felt way disjointed, and themes felt forced. I was looking at the end for Disney to have played some part in the production.
Favreau brings in a lot of big shot supporting talent, including his Iron Man buddies Scarlet Johanssen and Robert Downey. (Makes you wonder how much trouble Gwyneth is, that she didn't get a courtesy call.) Also there's Sofía Vergara and Bobby Carnevale and John Leguizamo as the loyal, spirited buddy who tries to keep the enthusiasm going until our hero can pull himself out of the dumps. But it wasn't doing much to pump up my spirits.
Again, others in the theater were slopping it up. Maybe I don't watch enough cooking TV, and there were just scenes I'm not as conditioned to respond to as the others were. But maybe I just need to look past the food porn and high calorie soundtrack padding. Maybe there's something meta going on, and the chef picking a fight with a food critic was just a big analogy for a Hollywood filmmaker picking a fight with a film critic. A big fuck you from Hollywood to the critics they depend on for their self-esteem. YEAH! You tell those hatin' bloggers, you aggrieved, mega-rich filmmakers!!
But you know, I don't particularly like Hollywood's idea of down and out. Favreau mopes and feels sorry for himself and treats his kid coldly as he drives back and forth in this gleaming Mercedes Benz, bouncing between his spicy Cuban ex-wife played by a supermodel, and his smokey Scandinavian restaurant hostess/apparent friend-with-bennies played by a super-hero. And of course they both care deeply for him, even as he grows increasingly self-centered. Oh, boo-hoo for you.
There's a great movie about John Favreau as a talented but broken, dispirited man with a colorful, energetic buddy trying to keep him going until he can pull himself up. Its name is Swingers and it came out in 1996.