Entertaining quasi-indie film about a movie director (sorry, chef - Jon Favreau), who is frustrated that the studio (sorry, restaurant owner - Dustin Hoffman) won't let him make the films (sorry, food) the way he wants, preferring to use establish tropes and things that have worked before (sorry, dishes). He gets in a slanging match with a movie critic (sorry, food blogger), and gets inspired to make an independent movie (sorry, food truck) like he used to. He has a devoted film crew (sorry, chef crew) and despite being a tubby man he is able to bang the hot actress (sorry, waitress - Scarlett Johansson) and has to get backing from an independent movie financier (sorry, his ex wife's ex husband - Robert Downey Jnr).
Favreau has stated this isn't autobiographical because in real life he's not divorced or estranged from his child - but in this movie he actually gets along very well with his child (they keep throwing in lines of dialogue how they don't but in every scene they seem to get along great) and he has the best relationship with an ex wife I've ever seen in a movie - so much so that at the end of the movie they're back together, without even a real scene showing them reconnecting.
Okay I'm starting to sound mean and I didn't intend that. This is a sweet film - yes, about the struggles of a millionaire film director, and it goes on too long, and is strict wish fulfillment (eg "critics and the public will like you if you just follow your heart"), but there is lots to admire: a big heart, a star studded cast (Downey Jnr's turn is particularly hilarious), a heavily hispanic feel in terms of food and art direction (something still not common in Hollywood films), and some excellent food porn. It's one of the most cleverly made indi films I've seen - a personal movie but stuffed full of things to entertain you if you're not into that personal message: movie stars, good foods, and interesting visuals. Aussie filmmakers take note!
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