Le Chef is about as obvious and predictable a French comedy as you could imagine. I loved it.
It’s a niche alternative in this country, but it’s not difficult to imagine Le Chef as the French equivalent of mainstream efforts like Transformers or the latest Adam Sandler film. That said, it’s an incredibly entertaining film that hits plenty of high notes, and is rarely less than an absolute pleasure to watch.
Former comedy singer Michaël Youn proves an impressively flexible on-screen presence whose enthusiasm often outshines his dignity to amusing effect. Pairing him up with the leathery, staid Jean Reno was a genius move, and the two bounce off each other with the ease of an old school comedy team. There are heaps of great supporting character moments – especially those involving Youn’s chef buddies from the retirement home where he works, whom he attempts to school in the ways of haute cuisine.
As far as the actual food goes, the film only delves into this with any detail on a couple of occassions, and frustratingly fails to specify the contents of the climactic meal on which all of our characters’ fates rest. It’s never hard to see where Le Chef is heading, but it’s still a heck of a lot of fun going there.
