The Chef (film)

Le Chef (French: Comme un chef) is a 2012 French comedy film, directed by Daniel Cohen and starring Jean Reno and Michaël Youn. The film had its international premiere at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in 2012.

Plot

Jacky Bonnot (Michaël Youn) is a young Frenchman living with his pregnant girlfriend (Raphaëlle Agogué). After being fired from a restaurant he becomes worried about the birth of his child, so he decides to get whatever job despite his passion for haute cuisine. Accepting a job as a painter, he finds three cook interns and helps improve their menu. These improvements eventually reach the ears of Alexandre Lagarde (Jean Reno), who is also in a precarious situation: as the renowned chef of the Cargo Lagarde restaurant, he has to improve or create innovations for the entire menu. If he cannot achieve this, the place will lose a star from its rating and Stanislas Matter (Julien Boisselier) will convert it into a molecular kitchen, with Alexandre and all the cooks losing their jobs. Jacky initially rejects the offer to work with Alexandre, because the position is an unpaid internship, but after hesitation, he accepts. Next day both Jacky and Alexandre start to cook but as soon as they begin, Jacky's finickiness and Alexandre's stubbornness leads to a discussion that concludes with Jacky being fired.

Alexandre regrets his decision and sends someone to search and take Jacky back to the Cargo Lagarde ranks. They reconcile and start to plan improvements to the restaurant's menu. As Jacky is an intern (and thus has no salary), he lies to his girlfriend about searching for jobs. However, she goes to where he started as a painter and finds herself in the kitchen of the interns, who are having a video call with Jacky. She discovers him lying and their relationship breaks down. Alexandre offers him a glass of wine that Jacky accepts, and they keep tasting bottles of wine until both of them become slightly drunk. Jacky plans to reconcile with his girlfriend with the help of Alexandre, but the plan fails as she gets mad at his clumsy proposal. Alexandre offers Jacky a room in his house to spend the night, where Alexandre tries to talk with his daughter who is resentful over her dad's indifference to her thesis and degree.

Cast

• Jean Reno as Alexandre Lagarde, a renowned chef and host of a TV show called "The recipes of Alexandre's market" (Les recettes du Marché d'Alexandre).
• Michaël Youn as Jacky Bonnot, a finnicky, clumsy, self-taught cook who dreams of being a great chef like Alexandre.
• Raphaëlle Agogué as Beatrice, Jacky's pregnant girlfriend.
• Julien Boisselier as Stanislas Matter, the tetchy, sarcastic son of Paul Matter, the main shareholder of Cargo Lagarde.
• Santiago Segura as Juan, an outrageous Spaniard who claims to be an expert in molecular cuisine.
• Salomé Stévenin as Amandine, Alexandre's postgraduate daughter.
• Serge Lariviere as Titi, a chef.
• Issa Doumbia as Moussa, a chef.
• Bun Hay Mean as Chang, a chef.
• Pierre Vernier as Paul Matter, the main shareholder of Cargo Lagarde.
• Rebecca Miquel as Carole, a restaurant owner Alexandre falls in love with.

External links

• Official website at Cohen Media Group (official US distributor)
• The Chef at the Internet Movie Database
• Le Chef at AllMovie
• Le Chef at Box Office Mojo
• Le Chef at Metacritic
• Le Chef at Rotten Tomatoes
• Hudson, David (23 January 2012). "Berlinale 2012. Forum Expanded + Culinary Cinema". MUBI. The Daily (blog).