“Cooking. Family. If you love what you’re doing, you’re doing it right.”

Simply put—this is a feel-good movie.

Chef tells the classic father-and-son story, but with a twist. In this case, the father is a well-known chef working at a high-end (and kind of pretentious) restaurant, and the son is the kid who never really gets quality time with his dad—unless it somehow involves work.

What I really liked is that they didn’t make the father out to be some awful, work-obsessed, neglectful parent (like we usually see in these types of films). Instead, they gave us Carl Casper (Jon Favreau), a chef who’s actually a decent guy—he just happens to be really passionate about his job.

Now, was Favreau’s performance amazing? No. He didn’t always hit the emotional beats you’d expect from someone in his situation. But when he did deliver, it worked.

For example, there’s a scene where he completely loses it on a food critic. (I won’t spoil the exact events leading up to it.) But let’s be real—if someone publicly trashed something you loved and worked hard for, you’d definitely have a reaction. Maybe not that extreme, but still.

Speaking of scenes that came out of nowhere…

Enter Marvin (Robert Downey Jr.).

Yes, RDJ is in this movie. No, he doesn’t do much. But his character—who happens to be the ex-ex-husband of Carl’s ex-wife, Inez (Sofía Vergara)—ends up playing a key role in Carl’s future.

And honestly? He’s just Robert being Robert at this point.

The film’s main plot is straightforward. But the real emotional weight comes from Carl’s relationship with his son, Percy (Emjay Anthony).

As a child actor, Anthony does a solid job. But the thing that stood out the most? How ridiculously chill this kid is about everything.

I mean, seriously.

At one point, Carl shows up extremely late to pick him up, and Percy barely reacts. He just says, “I’m used to it.”

Ouch.

At first, I thought his overly relaxed attitude was just bad acting, but maybe it was intentional? Maybe Percy acts like nothing bothers him because he’s used to expecting the worst? If so, that’s some deep character development right there.

But here’s where things get iffy—Carl doesn’t seem too concerned about his kid’s behavior. In a realistic father-son dynamic, there would be more tension or at least an attempt to address it. But hey, feel-good movie.

I almost forgot about Inez.

She was even more chill than Percy!

(Maybe that’s where he gets it from??)

But seriously—what kind of mother is completely okay with her ex-husband suddenly taking their kid on a cross-country food truck tour?

No hesitation. No second thoughts. Just: “Yeah, sure, sounds fun!”

I get it. This movie isn’t aiming for realism, but come on.

Final Thoughts

Before I wrap this up—Molly (Scarlett Johansson), I just want to say: It’s nice to see you in a movie where you’re not kicking someone’s ass. A refreshing change of pace. (Seriously, pick up your corpses)

If you like:
✔️ Father-son bonding
✔️ Happy endings (yes, shocking)
✔️ Delicious-looking food

Then give this movie a watch!