While I enjoy a good superhero filled with action and sass, Jon Favreau wrote and directed a small film called Chef. Most people know him helping launch the Marvel cinematic universe with Iron Man; Chef throws back to the films making Favreau a household name with character banter and delicious detail found in his first film Swingers. (Trivia Tidbit: Favreau wrote the screenplay for Swingers, but Doug Liman directed it. Yes, the same guy later directed Edge of Tomorrow, The Bourne Identity, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.)
Chef tells the story of Carl Casper trying to get his culinary creativity back after years of pleasing everyone after erupting, over lava cake no less, at a food critic. The incident gets captured by smartphones and goes viral. Adding to the failure of his marriage to Inez (Sophie Vergara), Carl finds his life in shambles, and nearly making him more estranged from his son Rudy (Emjay Anthony).
Through Inez’s encourage, and an old food truck given to him by Inez’s second ex Marvin (Robert Downey, Jr), Carl travels back making not only reconnecting with his creativity, but with his son as well. The film has gorgeous shots of the food Carl makes, and I will never look at a sandwich like a sandwich ever again.
The film soundtrack has the same careful selection as the ingredients for a meal. It’s chock-full of Cuban bits that will make a person find their hips. Sprinkled like powdered sugar on a Beignet are a few New Orleans Jams. Need a Monday wake up call, or at least I do while I do 7:30 am shifts for a co-worker on vacation, here are some Grade-A choice cuts to feed your ears:
*Just a note it’s not your Marvin Gay version, but still make things shakin’ and rockin’
Unpaused Life 