Movie Review: Chef (2014)

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Plot:A head chef quits his restaurant job and buys a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family.

I would never have specifically chosen to watch this film by myself, and yet Zoë really liked it. I knew if she liked something like this (and it usually isn’t the type of film she’d go for), I would likely enjoy it too.

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Jon Favreau is perhaps best known for his role as Happy in the Iron Man franchise, but we all know him to be an excellent director too. He takes on the main character role of the Chef Carl Casper (love the alliteration right there), a brilliant chef who is forced into a mundane existence by working in an upmarket restaurant with a close-minded owner (played by Dustin Hoffman). After being blasted terribly by a Food Blogger, Carl loses his shit, goes on a Twitter rampage and eventually just quits. His ex-wife, Inez (Sofia Vergara), convinces him to take up a food truck because then he can actually be true to himself and cook what he wants.

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Beware, Chef is food porn. You need to be prepared for the visual stimulation that will besiege you and I would not suggest watching this on an empty stomach. The amount of goodwill towards good food is staggering, and I was salivating even after I already had a delicious meal earlier.

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Primarily Chef is what happens when a man loses his passion. It is a lesson on social media etiquette, being a good parent, finding solutions and loving what you do how a man that lost his passion gets back on his feet, and his relationship with his wife and child are incorporated into that.  It is a feel good film . I wish all divorced couples would get along so well. Inez and Carl are the ideal divorced pair. They both care about their childs’ happiness and work towards keeping him grounded. I also enjoyed seeing Sofia Vergara in such a role, she is too often only cast as a hot Latino mammy and while she does good at it, she has so much more to give than her typecast work. I also enjoyed Bobby Cannavale and John Leguizamo in their roles, as well as Scarlett Johannson who was just a normal character. Robert Downey Jnr. Quickly makes an appearance too, which tells me a number of the Avengers cast wanted to support their friend and that is just great.

I actually have nothing bad to say about this. Chef is a joyful film with humor and self-discovery, and while it really is very optimistic it is lovely to watch. Definitely worth it!

Rating: 8/10

A tale that will restore your faith in humanity

Here is a wonderful story to make you feel better about life.

Reports were received that a dog had fallen into Kimberley’s Big Hole (Northern Cape, South-Africa) on the 15th of November 2013. The dog proved to have amazing fighting spirit and stayed alive by swimming around (the Hole used to be a diamond mine but is now filled with water). Luckily, the doggie managed to find resting place and could sometimes stand still.

By Saturday, the 23rd of November, people were demanding to know why no rescuing mission had been launched yet. True, the mission would be very difficult as it isn’t possible to go down the steep, eroded cliffs. Kurt Darren, a popular South-African celebrity, offered to finance the rescue mission. Soon ER24, a medical response unit, jumped on the wagon and offered to assist.

A team of seven went down the hole and after a few failed attempts; one man went into the water. Initially, the dog didn’t understand that Warrant Officer Wayne Seely was there to saver her, and tried to get away, but when she realised she was being rescued, the dog, nicknamed Underdog (or Captain Seely), stopped swimming and allowed her rescuer to lift her out.

Needless to say, the entire South-Africa was yelling support during the entire rescue mission.

And there, my faithful readers, is proof that humanity still has redeeming qualities.

Here’s to the Underdog!

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*Image from Volksblad