Chef (2014) and The Hundred Foot Journey (2014): Eat Your Heart Out

Yes, we Americans seem to have developed a thing about food and cuisine, whether it be the finest chocolate, the rarest tea, the most interesting salt, the most unusual heritage beans, the most authentic BBQ, the best (or most expensive) restaurant; you name it. The French have such sensitivities built into their genes, but it’s a relative newcomer on these shores. Its great that we can relish fresh or new foods and preparations, and appreciate the immediacy of a sublime taste; but is that all this is about? Social scientists will no doubt tell us that, consciously or otherwise, our new obsession with food also acts as a marker of material status, and perhaps to a pervasive feeling of meaninglessness or alienation in the upper classes, or some such.   Don’t get me wrong; I’m totally into it myself as an amateur cook and a consumer of gourmet meals.

 

Whatever the genesis or meaning of our new, refined appetites, the film industry has taken note, and films about food, chefs and restaurants are multiplying like lapin. From Chocolat (2000) to Ratatouille (2007) to Julie and Julia (2009) to Haute Cuisine (2012).Now, perhaps for the first time, we have two kitchen films in theaters at the same time: Jon Favreau’s Chef and Lasse Hallström’s The Hundred Foot Journey.  How do these current motion pictures stack up?

For one thing, the two films aim at a somewhat different audience. The One Hundred Foot Journey seems to be targeting the PBS crowd, affluent, cosmopolitan folks who have traveled – or aspire to travel – to La Belle France, who appreciate the idea of delicious fresh food from the French countryside, and may find a culture clash between French and Indian cuisine amusing. Meanwhile, Chef is an American product, aimed at a wider audience interested in American food and a modern version of the American dream. Journey is an international production  (albeit leaning heavily on S. Spielberg and O. Winfrey), located and shot in France with a Swedish director and an international cast; while Chef takes space in the US of A featuring Hollywood actors and a more traditional Hollywood plot.

These films are not great, nor do they aspire to greatness. Instead, they aim at charming and heartwarming. Of the two, I found Chef way more fun and more entertaining.

Chef is a sweet, feel-good movie – the sort where the audience applauds at the end.  It was written and directed by Jon Favreau, who also stars as the protagonist, Carl Casper, a talented, if self absorbed chef, who must find his way after losing his job at a fancy but stodgy SoCal restaurant. Carl is a super nice guy, but so focused on his career, that he has neglected his relationship with his adorable and incredibly patient 10-year-old son Percy (Emjay Anthony,) notwithstanding the encouragement of his beautiful, well-meaning and incredibly patient ex-wife, Inez. Inez is played by Sofia Vergara, who is made up to look amazing in every scene, whether picking up Percy from school, making lunch in her kitchen, or getting out of bed in the middle of the night. She clearly still cares for Carl and we quickly figure out that the feeling is mutual. We never do learn why the two broke up, but maybe it had to do with Carl losing his joie to vivre, his creative mojo, which seems to be the root of his problems generally. At his restaurant, Carl also has a casual thing for Molly, his maître d'/hostess, played by Scarlett Johansson.  Did I mention that Chef is a fantasy?

Inez had been encouraging Carl to start a food truck business, even before his gig at the restaurant blew up, presumably so that he could be independent and creative or creative and independent – it’s not clear where Favreau intended the emphasis – with more time for Percy (more fantasy there). Once he’s out of work, Carl picks up on the idea. He’s back in his hometown of Miami at the time, which we are told is where Carl started out as a whiz-bang chef of Cuban cuisine, though he’s not Cuban. Anyway, from this plot development, we get treated to some great Cuban salsa music, some neat lessons in how to make a cubano (Cuban sandwich), and a travelogue taking Carl, his new truck, his cute Hispanic friend Martin (John Leguizamo), and Percy back home to California (and Inez) by way of Café Du Monde in New Orleans and a Texas barbecue joint. 

This works, in part, because of some excellent performances:  because Favreau is totally committed to his character – warm hearted and stubbornly righteous, because Emjay Anthony is a sweet fantasy son, Vergara lovely as the fantasy ex,  Leguizamo surprisingly upbeat as Carl’s loyal buddy, and Dustin Hoffman convincing as the crass and uncaring restaurant owner. There are a some nice, brief performances by Oliver Platt (as the food critic whose bad review sets the plot rolling), Robert Downey, Jr, and Bobby Cannavale, too. Chef also works because of some amusing bits about social media, and because the theme of career obsession versus family, though treated pretty tritely, resonates with the American character.  Maybe it also works because there are no surprises.  Life lessons are learned and a Hollywood ending. Bring up the music.

 

Favreau - the writer/director – keeps things moving, and keeps our interest without challenging us. We never fear the worst, but stick around to enjoy the ride. Plus, the kitchen scenes in Chef seem pretty realistic, the chopping, the on-the-plate assembly, the hectic pace in the kitchen, and all that. I left hungry.

The Hundred Foot Journey is ok but harder to really like.  Its story is just as predictable, but because Journey relies to a greater degree on snob appeal and because it aims for a more sophisticated plane than does Chef, the result seems more cloying and pretentious.   The story is more of a romance and less comedic than Chef, although it has it’s humorous moments. And it’s young star, Manish Dayal, is worth keeping an eye on.

The basic story is of an Indian restaurant family, the Kadams, who wind up somewhere in the south of France, having been forced from their homeland for reasons half-heartedly depicted, but essentially unexplained. Their van having broken down near a small village, the stubborn, headstrong “Papa” Kadam (Om Puri) decides that they will open their restaurant there, dubbing the place Maison Mumbai, which will serve Indian food of the highest order. Unfortunately, their premises is directly across from a Michelin starred destination restaurant owned by the stern and arrogant Madame Mallory (Helen Mirren), who does not intend to tolerate any competition (even if it is an entirely different cuisine). 

Mirren and Puri are marvelous actors and watchable throughout, even though we know that their  antagonism is built to soften and dissolve. Still, although I am a huge admirer of Helen Mirren, I have to say that this is not her finest hour. The main gripe is that she never gets a handle on her attempt at French-accented English, which goes in many different directions, but is not at all consistent. She throws around a bunch of “Alors!” but is simply not believably French. A lesser gripe is the fact that her character is a cartoon (which may not be her fault).  Puri’s character is cartoonish as well, but his face can tell a story in any situation, and his English accent is authentic.

Dayal plays Hassan Kadam, a beautiful young man who has inherited his mother’s Indian recipes and talent, along with her box of spices. He is also curious about food generally and French cuisine in particular. Notwithstanding Madame’s antagonism, he sees the proximity of a Michelin starred establishment just one hundred feet across the road as a great opportunity. That the attractive and friendly Marguerite (Charlotte le Bon – great name) works in its kitchen provides a different sort of opportunity.  Marguerite always wears summer dresses, which adds to her loveliness, but makes no sense except to remind us that this movie, too, is a fantasy.  Hassan and Marguerite are, of course, destined for one another.

Aside from the cross-road rivalry and the slight romantic impediments, we are supposed to care about Hassan’s ambition to get somewhere as a chef. But there’s not much tension there – just more predictability.  Another source of dramatic tension is supposed to come from the cross-cultural and/or ethnic tension that the arrival of the Indian foreigners in this little community ostensibly creates. But this theme gets little more than lip service. In fact, the willingness of both  the French community and the Indian family to accept cross ethnic/cross cultural romance was a bit surprising,

The director of The Hundred Foot Journey is Lasse Halstrom, who directed Chocolat fourteen years ago, and a few other movies in between. As you might expect, there are a lot of lush landscapes, several colorful moments in the town’s outdoor marketplace, and a few interior closeups, all of which are quite nice. There’s a beautifully shot scene near the end in which Madame Mallory’s entryway is lit up invitingly for old Mr. Kadam.  The obligatory chefs’ cooking scenes are not convincing, except one pivotal moment in which we watch a lovely omelet being  made, and a few shots in a high-end Parisian restaurant, showcasing some amazing looking creations (without showing how they were made). The music by A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) does add some luster to the production.

The Hundred Foot Journey felt pretty hollow to me, designed for a target audience, but developed without any real interest in the story, in fleshing out the characters, or in the culinary arts.  Unlike Chef, there is not much heart here, mostly pandering.  

Chef is still showing in some theaters, and is slated for release on DVD in late September, presumably with some streaming opportunities. The Hundred Foot Journey was just released on August 8, and is in wide distribution.