Anybody can make food porn: just hire a couple of chefs to whip up something really pretty and get a competent cameraman to catch it all on film. I'm aware that I'm understating how difficult it really is, but I'm trying to make a point: a good food porn film shouldn't just feature attractive looking food. Jon Favreau's Chef proves this. Although the film does feature more than its fair share of mouth-watering cuisine, it's an ode to the art of cooking as craft, as personal expression, as a force that can literally bring people together. Favreau's characters, though by no means original, are earnest and sincere--which is why I'm almost certain so many hoity-toity critics slammed it. Some of the sub-plots with minor characters don't quite work: why exactly was Robert Downey Jr. in this film again? But, much like Favreau's food, the film is simple, to the point, and straight from the heart.
8/10
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