Burnt
Don't Go! Under-cooked and thin on flavour.
Chef's turbulent quest for perfection.
Late nights, early mornings; the heat and frenzy of performing, night-after-night; the ferocious process of creating something that is new yet timeless. Top chefs are rock stars. The comparison stops short of having people throw their underwear into steamy kitchens (unhygienic) and having chefs sign various body parts with a pipette (too tricky), but it's close enough. Replace the guitar with a spatula and the similarities are there. Strange, then, films about chefs are fairly rare. So far, Pixar's excellent Ratatouille (2007) and John Favreau's colourful Chef (2014) probably get closest to finding the rhythm and blues of kitchen life. Director John Wells (August: Osage County) attempts to do the same in Burnt.
Bradley Cooper (American Sniper, American Hustle) plays Adam Jones - a front-man chef whose celebrated but fledgling career in a top Parisian restaurant was curtailed by drug and alcohol abuse. Two years clean and clear-headed, he heads to London to begin his comeback and gain the third Michelin Star which remained elusive across the Channel. There, the emotional and financial debts of his past confront him and test his character, ability and ambition.
Bradley Cooper (American Sniper, American Hustle) plays Adam Jones - a front-man chef whose celebrated but fledgling career in a top Parisian restaurant was curtailed by drug and alcohol abuse. Two years clean and clear-headed, he heads to London to begin his comeback and gain the third Michelin Star which remained elusive across the Channel. There, the emotional and financial debts of his past confront him and test his character, ability and ambition.
hat I probably mean by saying chefs are rock stars is actually that - stereotypically - they are arrogant, self-obsessed bullies. Certainly, that is reflected in the style of character portrayed by Cooper in Burnt, which is ultimately a study of ostentatious male narcissism. Adam Jones cruises around on a motorbike in a leather jacket, smashing crockery, crowing loudly and imposing himself on anyone who will improve his chances of succeeding. Such a character is inherently unlikeable, so a lot needs to done to get the audience on side. Burnt gets too carried away with itself too often, and fails to sufficiently temper the unpleasantness with the necessary warmth of vulnerability.
Where he is not speaking decent French or performing the physical act of cheffing (both of which appear very genuine) Cooper feels like he is simply cruising; although he is not helped by an aggressive but uninventive script. Adam Jones could have been a fascinating character, but he is left as plain and one-dimensional as his dry-slice-of-bread name suggests. All the nuances that would make him interesting - a fist of humility seasoning; a scatter of self-aware herbs - are distinctly lacking. Particularly in a scene where he barkingly scolds his kitchen staff, the film collapses like a limp soufflé into a "Kitchen Nightmares" caricature. Yes Chef? No thanks, Chef.
Where he is not speaking decent French or performing the physical act of cheffing (both of which appear very genuine) Cooper feels like he is simply cruising; although he is not helped by an aggressive but uninventive script. Adam Jones could have been a fascinating character, but he is left as plain and one-dimensional as his dry-slice-of-bread name suggests. All the nuances that would make him interesting - a fist of humility seasoning; a scatter of self-aware herbs - are distinctly lacking. Particularly in a scene where he barkingly scolds his kitchen staff, the film collapses like a limp soufflé into a "Kitchen Nightmares" caricature. Yes Chef? No thanks, Chef.
As Jones' sous chef Helene, Sienna Miller (American Sniper) brings some much needed emotional grout to piece the splintered tiles of the film together. In fact, her character's story is likely have been more interesting than Jones' as the lead focus, but it is not the first time - nor the last - that an intriguing female role has played sous to a male's tiresome chef de cuisine. Again, however, any effort by Miller to elevate the film is stifled by a clichéd script and predictable storyline. As for the other women orbiting the inflated egotistical planetoid of Jones, Emma Thompson (Saving Mr Banks) as therapist, Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) as restaurant critic and Alicia Vikander (The Man From U.N.C.L.E) as French ex-girlfriend have neither the screen time, nor the lines to improve the film much either. The same can be said for the film's food, which gets surprisingly little attention.
In its favour, there is overall, a gently inspiring feel to the film. It is quietly (and only slightly) reminiscent of the wonderful Whiplash - the idea that painful chaos is required in order to find the serenity of perfection. Given the potential of this platform, it is a shame that it fails to deliver this on a worthwhile scale.
So don't go. Just watch the trailer below - it's pretty much all in there. Save your cash. Don't get Burnt.
In its favour, there is overall, a gently inspiring feel to the film. It is quietly (and only slightly) reminiscent of the wonderful Whiplash - the idea that painful chaos is required in order to find the serenity of perfection. Given the potential of this platform, it is a shame that it fails to deliver this on a worthwhile scale.
So don't go. Just watch the trailer below - it's pretty much all in there. Save your cash. Don't get Burnt.
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