Chef: 6/10

I have seen this type of movie before: chef loses touch, chef needs drastic change, change is good, complication arises, everything works out in the end. Yep, I just about got it.

Jon Favreau's Chef is the director's return to his indie, low-budget roots after branching to the Blockbuster Hollywood lifestyle. And almost parallel to his career path (In need of some calming), we see Chef as a stripped down back-to basics films that shows the age-old battle between art and business with minimal effects, minimal pizazz, and an overall minimalism approach that requires a strong script and strong performances to carry the movie through.

And to an extent it works, but almost too well. Chef is not a lazy movie, it is instead a very harmless adult-oriented film that doesn't take any risks, doesn't push any boundaries, and remains comfortable within its borders. With the safe approach, you can predict where the movie is going and despite the mildly enjoyable ride you can't help but be underwhelmed by the lack of challenge of it all.

What's worse is that you have a stellar cast with each not given enough material to truly excel. Come on now, a movie with the likes of Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, Robert Downey Jr., and John Leguizamo has to have some sort of spice. Instead each of them were handed limited roles that didn't allow for any of them to truly grow and have any standout moments. They were instead treated more like cameos in the life of a struggling chef (Jon Favreau acting and directing) trying to regain his footing after a rough month that culminated from a scathing review.

Nothing about this movie fizzled to be honest, but nothing really stood out. It's similar to a breakfast of cereal and milk; no matter how good the cereal is, it's still just a breakfast consisting of cereal…and milk. During the self-fulfillment trip there wasn't much of a rock bottom moment, there wasn't much of a challenge or a setback to return to prominence. Compared to the instant classic gem about a cook known as Ratatouille and even a milder fare involving a cook on the sentimental rocks like No Reservations, Chef doesn't stack many odds against our hero. Your investment to keep watching is the nice locales (Wish there was more Miami though), the nice food, and the great performance from youngster Emjay Anthony.

Favreau's rise to fame was his indie gem Swingers, which entered the pop culture lexicon as well as displayed Favreau as a good low-budget director and a good down-to-earth actor. His latest film was his attempt to recapture his youngster roots. While he does step in the right direction, Chef lacks the bite that was prominent in his earliest works. But it's the right step forward. That being said, Chef will not stand out, but will entertain, and will keep you visually satisfied with the good food, good locations, and attractive people. This makes for a decent appetizer that can hopefully someday lead to a Swinger-like main course from Jon Favreau.