★★★☆☆ (6/10)
In between his big-budget flop "Cowboys & Aliens" and his CGI-laden masterwork "The Jungle Book," Jon Favreau enjoyed a modest success with this tasty treat. What makes "Chef" particularly sweet is its existence among an increasingly cynical buffet of cinematic goodness. Favreau has no interest in exploiting any negatives here, celebrating food, friends, family and life in the warmest way possible. It's a joy from start to finish, and you'll definitely have an intense craving for nearly every meal that is cooked to commercial-quality perfection on screen, but "Chef" is missing a few ingredients that might have made this pleasant feast as nourishing as it is filling.
Carl Casper (Favreau) runs the kitchen of a popular Los Angeles restaurant. After a humiliating altercation with a prestigious food critic, Carl quits his position as head chef and travels to Miami, where he fixes up an old food truck. Meanwhile, he reconnects with his ex-wife Inez (Sofia Vergara) and their son Percy (Emjay Anthony), who tags along with his father as he travels across the country cooking cubanos, po' boys and other exquisite delicacies for hungry customers.
Foodies of every persuasion will surely find themselves salivating over Carl's culinary creations. Whether you're a vegan, vegetarian or straight-up carnivore, there is absolutely no way you won't walk away from "Chef" without a single belly groan. I'll admit I nearly lost my composure during a quick sequence where Carl cooks for Percy a grilled cheese so beautiful you might as well call it sexy. But as with any family film, the real flavor of "Chef" comes from the charisma of its well-rounded ensemble.
As a writer, director and leading man, Favreau brings a natural vibe that informs the rest of the picture, and his talented troupe of actors follow his lead effortlessly. Vergara finds room to retain elements of the sassy mamacita she plays in "Modern Family," but her performance as Inez defies what most of her fans would probably expect. John Leguizamo adds a welcome amount of spice as Carl's partner and friend Martin. There are also great cameos from Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey Jr., the latter of whom lets his comedic side run rampant for his only scene.
Favreau's simplistic and light-hearted approach to "Chef" is nothing less than delightful, but it's still old-fashioned enough to rob the film of convincing character development. I never really bought the fact that Carl is so oblivious to social media, as highlighted by some fairly overlong conversations he has with Percy and Martin about how Twitter works. His budding relationship with his estranged son is formulaic at best, as is the rest of the plot, but Favreau's chemistry with his young co-star (as well as the rest of the cast) does well enough to make this predictable effort easier to digest. You may not come back hungry for more, but "Chef" works perfectly well as a palate cleanser for viewers looking for a break from Hollywood produce.
