I watched two simplistic movies back to back. While Fading Gigolo succeeded in engaging me enough to actually care about characters that I knew nothing about and had no perceivable mean of relating to, Chef simply failed that test.
There is no high point in this movie with a very predictable run of the mill story, where from the strained relationship between the father and son in the beginning to the ego and professional fervor of our protagonist- everything remains unexplored. Favreau touches everything but never dips his feet too deep. Its tragic because the direction was very meticulous and technically there is hardly anything wrong with the film from cinematography to music to use of location.
To my mind the point where the film has entirely failed is making any connection between our hero- the chef and the audience. Rather than coming across as someone really passionate about his job the titular chef comes across as a bit of a crybaby not being able to handle negative criticism and most abundantly a self centered person who cannot see beyond himself. John Leguizamo playing his best friend has shown more likable traits than him,what with giving up his position in a restaurant to join his friend's food truck. When the film finishes we have no clue as to whether he is indeed a better person for all that has transpired instead we are to assume due to his success his ex wife has taken him back.I should also mention there is no character development of any of the side characters, the script itself is a bit like the chef himself in this respect.
There is no high point in this movie with a very predictable run of the mill story, where from the strained relationship between the father and son in the beginning to the ego and professional fervor of our protagonist- everything remains unexplored. Favreau touches everything but never dips his feet too deep. Its tragic because the direction was very meticulous and technically there is hardly anything wrong with the film from cinematography to music to use of location.
To my mind the point where the film has entirely failed is making any connection between our hero- the chef and the audience. Rather than coming across as someone really passionate about his job the titular chef comes across as a bit of a crybaby not being able to handle negative criticism and most abundantly a self centered person who cannot see beyond himself. John Leguizamo playing his best friend has shown more likable traits than him,what with giving up his position in a restaurant to join his friend's food truck. When the film finishes we have no clue as to whether he is indeed a better person for all that has transpired instead we are to assume due to his success his ex wife has taken him back.I should also mention there is no character development of any of the side characters, the script itself is a bit like the chef himself in this respect.