Chef (2014)
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A disgraced chef finds redemption and reconnects with his son while operating a mobile food truck across the country.
The story
Miami-born Carl Casper is the head chef at an upscale restaurant in Los Angeles. While he is talented and well-liked by his staff, he frequently clashes with the owner over the creative direction of the menu. When a high-profile food critic plans to visit, Carl hopes to showcase his innovative vision, but a last-minute demand from the owner forces him to serve standard fare. This leads to a scathing review and a public social media meltdown that leaves him professionally ruined. Seeking a fresh start, Carl accepts an invitation to travel to Miami, where he begins a journey to rediscover his passion for cooking and reconnect with his young son.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After a public meltdown at his restaurant leads to his professional ruin, Carl Casper joins his ex-wife and son on a trip to Miami. There, he is offered a dilapidated food truck to restart his career. He teams up with his former line cook, Martin, and his son, Percy, to travel across the country selling Cuban sandwiches. As they travel through New Orleans and Austin, Carl incorporates local flavors into his menu while building a following on social media. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Carl finds his career revitalized and his relationship with his son mended. The food critic who once panned him visits the truck and, impressed by Carl's growth, offers to fund a new restaurant where Carl can have full creative freedom. The film ends with Carl and his ex-wife celebrating their remarriage in his thriving new restaurant.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 114
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jon Favreau
- Writers
- Jon Favreau · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jon Favreau · Carl Casper; Sofía Vergara; John Leguizamo · Martin; Scarlett Johansson; Oliver Platt; Bobby Cannavale; Amy Sedaris; Emjay Anthony · Percy; Dustin Hoffman; Robert Downey Jr.
- Genres
- comedy; drama
- Themes
- father-son relationships; redemption; passion for craft
- Tone and mood
- feel-good; heartfelt
- Premise and plot tags
- road movie; culinary; independent
- Reception
- The film was well received by critics, who praised the direction, music, writing, story, and performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 87% · scale: percentage · review count: 191; Metacritic · score: 68 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Production trivia
- The script was semi-autobiographical.; The film was remade in India in 2017.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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