Blu-ray Movie Reviews

Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) doesn’t understand social media. So, when he attacks L.A.’s most powerful restaurant critic (Oliver Platt) on Twitter, their war goes viral and sinks Casper’s career. Hoping to repair the crestfallen chef’s relationship with son Percy, his loving ex-wife (Sofia Vergara) drags him to Miami. There, he buys a food truck and embarks upon a cross-country foodie road trip, which becomes a journey of self-discovery. In addition to his starring role, Favreau wrote, directed, and co-produced Chef, which probably explains why so many top stars agreed to work for scale on this indie film. The result is an intimate, endearing movie, which, with Twitter and food trucks prominently featured, is also quite timely.

Given Favreau’s résumé, it comes as no surprise that audio and video quality are commendable. At first glance, cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau’s frames seem dark, his use of color muted; however, closer inspection reveals that the film is cannily correct in both respects. Lighting is unimpeachably natural, from clean, pure whites through rich, deep blacks that reveal copious shadow detail. Colors are highly realistic but never vibrant or flashy. Fleshtones are cannily balanced and perfectly saturated. There is, however, a softening of image sharpness and textural detail that compromises this Blu-ray transfer.

Audio mirrors video: natural but unspectacular. Voices are gloriously, meticulously articulated. Musical scoring is beautifully delineated though subdued in the mix. Given the absence of special effects, the surround channels are surprisingly busy: The whirl and din of kitchen activity and the hubbub of restaurant patrons, for example, are wonderfully atmospheric. Your subwoofer, on the other hand, will take a siesta for pretty much the entire 115 minutes. The dearth of Foley effects, which would have added a welcome dose of realism to kitchen and restaurant scenes, is disappointing.

Extras, though limited, are highly worthwhile. All seven deleted scenes enhance our understanding of the film’s story line and character development. Though they wouldn’t have fit into the final cut, the outtakes of Amy Sedaris comprise the comedic highlight of the entire Blu-ray package. A full-length commentary by Favreau and co-producer Roy Choi, the food truck visionary who also served as Chef’s culinary consultant, percolates with enlightening production details. Favreau and Choi’s obvious camaraderie makes this feature a delight.

Blu-Ray
Studio: Universal, 2014
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Audio Format: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Length: 115 mins.
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Jon Favreau, Sofia Vergara, John Leguizamo