Mr. Church (2016)
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A cook becomes a caretaker and father figure to three generations of women over the years.
The story
In 1971, young Charlie Brooks lives in Los Angeles with her mother, Marie, who is battling terminal cancer. They hire a mysterious man, Mr. Church, as their cook. While Charlie is initially distrustful of him, she eventually grows closer to him as her mother's health declines. Following her mother's death, Mr. Church remains in their lives, becoming a steady presence for Charlie as she navigates her transition into adulthood and motherhood.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1971, Charlie Brooks lives with her mother, Marie, in Los Angeles. They hire Mr. Church, a man with a mysterious past, to be their cook. Marie, who has terminal cancer, asks Mr. Church to keep her illness a secret from Charlie. Over the years, as Charlie grows up, she becomes closer to Mr. Church than her mother. After Marie passes away, Mr. Church remains in Charlie's life, supporting her through her college years and eventually becoming a father figure to her daughter, Izzy. In 1986, after Mr. Church passes away, Charlie discovers he led a secret life as a pianist. She realizes that her daughter, Izzy, has learned to cook by watching him, just as she did.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 104
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Bruce Beresford
- Writers
- Susan McMartin · writer
- Cast and characters
- Eddie Murphy · Henry Joseph Church; Britt Robertson · Charlie Brooks; Natalie Coughlin · Young Charlotte; Natascha McElhone · Marie Brooks; Xavier Samuel · Owen; Lincoln Melcher · Young Owen; Lucy Fry · Poppy; Madison Wolfe · Young Poppy
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- Family; Secrets; Legacy
- Tone and mood
- Sentimental; Mysterious
- Setting
- Los Angeles, California from 1971 to 1986
- Premise and plot tags
- Coming-of-age; Drama; Food
- Source material / true-story basis
- The Cook Who Came to Live with Us
- Reception
- The film received generally negative reviews from critics, though Eddie Murphy's performance was praised and the film was better received by audiences.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 24% · scale: percentage · review count: 33; Metacritic · score: 37 · scale: 100 · review count: 12; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 81% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- It was the least expensive film of Eddie Murphy's career.; The film's working title was Cook.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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