Chef

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Matthew D Jon Favreau’s indie feature is a charming delight that’s both hilarious and warm. Director Jon Favreau’s indie comedy-drama film Chef (2014) is absolutely wonderful. I was laughing and even moved by how heartfelt Favreau approaches writing, directing, and acting here. Chef is actually a mini masterpiece of earnest filmmaking, sincere love of food, and good natured fun with friends. Favreau clearly loves to cook and act with his pals is such a pleasure to watch. It’s quite fun to see a family road trip movie that ventures out to Los Angeles, Miami, Austin, and New Orleans. Whether he’s making a grilled cheese sandwich for his son, pasta for Scarlett Johansson, or a Cubano sandwich for John Leguizamo, Jon Favreau feels completely comfortable and at home. His real chef skills and personable manner make his divorced dad feel likable enough. It’s funny how he makes his son work in his food truck and this actually leads to some of the sweetest moments of the movie. Chef is a film worth seeking out for Favreau’s crafty indie filmmaking and refreshing earnestness in his tender writing. Jon Favreau is fantastic as the stern chef Carl Casper, who starts over as a food truck chef to pursue his own recipes. Favreau nails the dry humor delivery and caring father figure drama for a well rounded performance. Chef is honestly Jon Favreau’s best acting performance. Emjay Anthony is delightful as Carl’s lonely and bubbly son Percy Casper, who just wants to spend time with his dad. Him cooking in the food truck is adorable and hilarious. John Leguizamo is a blast as the lively sous chef Martin. Bobby Cannavale is amusing as the drunken chef Tony, who worked under Carl at the restaurant. Dustin Hoffman is excellent as the mean and controlling restaurant owner Riva, who is super ignorant. Sofía Vergara is sexy and sweet as the divorced wife of Carl named Inez Casper. She’s always funny and bubbly. She feels warm and considerate and neatly encourages Carl from the sidelines in a wonderful supporting role. Scarlett Johansson is hot and loving as the honest waitress Molly in a delightful supporting actress role. I love watching Scarlett get to act in real films like Chef. Oliver Platt is a riot in his supporting role as the harsh food critic Ramsey Michel. Amy Sedaris is adorable and hilarious as usual in her appearance as Inez’ publicist Jen. Her whole conversation with Favreau had me bursting with laughter. Robert Downey Jr. gets a hysterical cameo as the manic Marvin with his signature eccentric line delivery. He aces his part with ease and charisma. Russell Peters is funny in his cameo as the creepy Miami Cop. Blues guitarist Gary Clark Jr. gets a fabulous spotlight during his song performance in Austin, Texas. Franklin Barbecue owner Aaron Franklin cameos with mouth watering meat at his grill. Editor Robert Leighton’s swift editing makes Chef a brisk 114 minutes. The cooking montages are dazzling and crisp. I like that we get to just hang out with these charming characters of Favreau’s creation. Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau’s close-up shots of all the food are majestic. I like his close-up and medium shots of people too that feel very natural. Brett Laumann’s cool lighting has bright clean looks and cool shadows for a dramatic look. Composer Lyle Workman’s score is very peppy and pretty. I like the soundtrack having the original songs that famous hip hop tracks sampled. Laura Jean Shannon’s costumes are stunning on Scarlett and Sofia. Every cook looks realistic in their smocks. The hair and makeup teams likewise do lovely work for Scarlett and Sofia. In all, Chef is a very sweet indie film for a lovely family watch. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/15/25 Full Review Christian K All I know for sure is that it seemed decent and I'm also starving now. Its been talked about before but it is really funny that Favreau wrote and directed a movie where his ex is Sofia Vergara and his new girl is ScarJo. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/12/25 Full Review THE NASHVILLE I Movies don't need complicated plots and huge budgets to be a masterpiece. It's about finding yourself...it's about finding your lost roots and the power that use to define your joy. This is one of those rare movies that had a perfect cast not just because everyone hit their mark, but the chemistry between characters is wonderfully good beyond belief. Chef's a brilliant inidie, but more importantly one of the most enjoyable movies any person could watch this century. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/12/25 Full Review Dan L. Happy Hogan during the height of the food truck craze. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 05/21/25 Full Review Fer S Good movie without the typical conflicts seen in this genre. It is perfect for when you just want to feel good the whole time and not think about anything. Good acting, no problems with the movie in general. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/09/25 Full Review Chris R I’m not sure how I missed this all these years, but this is what today’s Movies are missing. This movie has drama, comedy, and is inspirational. All the new movies are doom and gloom, if you haven’t seen this… watch it now! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/28/25 Full Review Read all reviews

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