"Chef" (2014) - Comedy-Drama Directed by Jon Favreau, Produced by Karen Gilchrist and Sergei Bespalov, Starring Favreau, Sofia Vergara, Jon LeGuizamo, Scarlett Johansson, Oliver Platt, Bobby Canavale, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Downey, Jr., and Emjay Ant

[lion]

Here's a clip from the new film.  Looking forward to seeing this!

[Nick Freshman]

It's good. Very sentimental and feel good, so if you're jaded, skip it. However, they get the business right--the language, the lifestyle, the gear. It's authentic in my opinion. He drinks out of the right kind of cup, etc. Pretty stellar cast as well--Dustin Hoffman as the restaurant owner was great.

[weezy]

Saw it today and really enjoyed it.  Most of the theater goers applauded at the end -- I haven't seen that in a long, long time!  Jon Leguizamo does a stellar turn in his supporting role.  It felt right.

Oh, and stay for the little clip at the end of the credits.

[DanielK]

Excellent overall, but I thought the closing scene at the restaurant was a false note.

SPOILER

I would have preferred an ending where you pan past a mostly empty Riva's place, and close in on a hopping El Jefe, Molly seating a couple, and seeing an obviously busy and happy Carl, Martin, and Tony working in the kitchen. Just music, no dialogue necessary. The wedding scene seemed out of place.

[DIShGo]

I have been thinking about going to see this film. Based on these reviews, I definitely will now.

[Kibbee Nayee]

Saw it today and really enjoyed it.  Most of the theater goers applauded at the end -- I haven't seen that in a long, long time!  Jon Leguizamo does a stellar turn in his supporting role.  It felt right.

Oh, and stay for the little clip at the end of the credits.

Possibly the best food-related movie in history, and easily one of the top movies of the year. Favreau nailed the part of Chef, and the thematic food-binds-families-together makes for a first-class story. And every scene involving food prep and cooking, and there were lots of them, were executed expertly. The film clearly benefitted from some expertise in how kitchen staff comport themselves. My favorite nickname had me holding my sides in laughter -- "Hey, Amuse Douche!"

Add Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johanssen, Robert Downey Jr. and Sofia Vergara to the cast and you have a hit. I will see this movie again and probably buy it when it comes out for purchase.

[DIShGo]

Excellent overall, but I thought the closing scene at the restaurant was a false note. 

This movie made me laugh, it made me cry, and it made me hungry. It is a warm-hearted, feel good film. If you like your films gritty and dark, you might want to skip this one.

Jon Favreau gave an excellent performance, as did Dustin Hoffman and Robert Downey, Jr. There is even a small cameo by Amy Sedaris as an overly tan LA publicist. My only complaint is the ending. It felt a little too Hollywood, tie-everything-up-in-a-neat-bow, for me.

[Sundae in the Park]

Excellent overall, but I thought the closing scene at the restaurant was a false note.

SPOILER

I would have preferred an ending where you pan past a mostly empty Riva's place, and close in on a hopping El Jefe, Molly seating a couple, and seeing an obviously busy and happy Carl, Martin, and Tony working in the kitchen. Just music, no dialogue necessary. The wedding scene seemed out of place.

Agreed! We actually thought the plot was kind of thin and the wedding completely unnecessary, but the execution of almost all the food-related (so therefore most of the) scenes were great!

The scene near the end with all the food trucks - we've eaten at most of those trucks so were super excited to see them!!! We're sad that we won't be able to try the El Jefe truck.

Note: ever since our visit to Miami and eating a bunch of Cuban food, my husband and I have always wondered why it isn't more popular in the US. The food is delicious and not terribly challenging, with mostly some flavor tweaks on food that should be familiar to the average American diner. So we thought the creation of a Cuban food truck was genius and long overdue! Also, if you are in the LA area, it is why the raging success of the Cuban bakery Porto's makes so much sense!