'Burnt' - Movie Review

'Burnt' Movie Review

'Burnt'
A; Comedy/Drama
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl, Riccardo Scamarcio, Omar Sy, Matthew Rhys, Emma Thompson, Uma Thurman, Alicia Vikander
Director: John Wells
Rating:

This film has the power to get your digestive juices flowing at first look but then...that which looks sumptuous and appetizing at first glance isn't always so.

Watch the trailer of 'Burnt'

So what if it's served up with (what the ladies would call) a superior dish, Bradley Cooper, as Chef Adam Jones, the two time Michellin star winner who had it all and then lost it? There's pretty good lure along with the food too. Cooper has some delectable company that includes Sienna Miller, Uma Thurman, Alicia Vikander and the much too rare and spicy Emma Thompson to accessorize with.

Chef Jones, an American Expat, became one of the most famous chef's by toiling in Paris' greatest kitchens. As an enfant terrible of the Paris restaurant scene, he preferred to immerse himself in the glories of taste rather than real life. And he succeeded in achieving what others couldn't . But then life's eccentricities go out of control and the celebrated Jones finds himself at the cross-roads. Skirt-chasing and substance abuse do him in and it takes him years to get over the restaurant and career shutdown.

Paris is well left behind. And the third Michellin star is just waiting to be had. But obviously he can't do it alone. Tony (Bruhl) his former maitre'd, reluctantly hands over his current fine dining establishment for Adam's benefit. Sous chef Michel (Omar Sy) is willing to let bygones alone and become a functioning partner in Adam's new venture. Italian ex-con Max (Riccardo Scamarcio) is also willing enough to lend his perfectionist hand to the new creation. New recruits include David (Sam Keeley) and Helene (Sienna Miller), a strong willed chef de partie , who adds most of the meat to the romance. And there's competition from Three star Reece (Matthew Rhys) to lead the race to the delectable and lip-smacking.

While the food and the actors involved looked good and come close to creating a gastronomic orgasm, the angst-ridden dynamics of the drama don't manage to steer clear of melodramatic flourishes and dissentious familiarity of genre staples in it's relapse and recovery route. And yeah, Jones is presented as someone gifted and terribly behaved and it's not a sight that can be forgotten easily..even with all that heavenly gastronomical window dressing on display!