Burnt - directed by John Wells
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Alicia Vikander, Uma Thurman, Daniel Bruhl, Emma Thompson, Matthew Rhys, Omar Sy, Sarah Greene, Sam Keeley, Richard Rankin
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rated: TBC - Frequent profanity, no sex and very mild violence suggest an M.
Bradley Cooper's chef Adam Jones is frequently shot outdoors in this movie.
The city of London is always a distant, blurry presence because the focus is firmly, unshakably on Jones at all times.
It doesn't matter where he is - Paris, Tokyo or London- he is all that matters.
It's telling that director John Wells shoots the character this way.
Adam Jones is a man fallen from grace.
He had it all and lost it but one thing has remained constant - he only has room for himself.
'I don't do groups' he tells the therapist charged with monitoring his sobriety and mental stability.
Unfortunately a chef aiming for three Michelin stars needs people around him to achieve this goal.
As much as I love movies about food they are almost never really about food.
How could they be?
There is no drama in a sunken souffle or an overcooked steak as such - only in the way that it affects those with an interest in it.
'Interest' is an understatement as far as food and Adam Jones goes.
Arriving in Paris aged 19 and speaking no French he lied his way into a kitchen.
He worked 20 hours a day and loved every minute of the noise and the violence he tells us.
But he lost it all to drink and drugs and women.
Which is to say he lost it because he is a deeply flawed human being.
And that is the sort of movie that "Burnt" is.
It's more "As Good As It Gets" or "Tin Cup" than it is "Chef" although on the surface it might appear to be closer to the latter.
No one doubts Jones talent but it comes at a cost that few are prepared to tolerate.
His temper would make Gordon Ramsay stop in his tracks.
But through sheer will he does manage to obtain a kitchen at a hotel run by a former colleague (a terrific turn from Daniel Bruhl)
Recruiting kitchen staff made up of an ex-con, an ex-enemy and newcomers both reluctant and eager he tries to rebuild his reputation by way of the elusive Michelin 3 Star award.
This is Bradley Coopers movie.
There are very few scenes in which he doesn't feature and he is electric.
I have never seen him better.
There is a danger in characters like these that an actor will overplay both the flaws and the redeeming aspects.
Cooper finds just the right level.
When Jones is unsympathetic he goes for it but finds no need to play the scant few moments of redemption too far in search of audience sympathy.
This is a character who may be worth rooting for but who is often difficult to like.
Sienna Miller as his second in charge serves as a litmus test for audience sympathies as she bears the brunt of his bad side.
Miller is a spectacularly attractive woman but this is not a role requiring glamour and stripped of it she proves that she is far more than just a pretty face.
She reveals more of the easy chemistry that she showed with Cooper in "American Sniper" and delivers a wonderful character in Helene.
I liked Omar Sy and Irish actor Sam Keeley very much as the other standouts in the kitchen.
Sarah Greene is also a welcome presence.
Hers is not a huge role but hopefully it leads to bigger and better in the near future. Apart from her obvious acting potential I could happily listen to the poetry of her Irish accented voice for hours on end.
"Burnt" is a delight.
At a lean 109 minutes it is very much like a great meal.
It left me wanting more even as I appreciated that it's a fine line between not quite enough and too much.
It resists the urge to fill in too much detail, trusting the viewer to do this themselves and I applaud it for this.
Sure- it is maybe a little too neat in resolving at least one plot point but I feel a bit nit-picky even bringing it up such was my enjoyment of this movie.
Alicia Vikander, Uma Thurman and Emma Thompson deserve more screen time but it is hard to argue the point too much as they fulfill the requirements of their characters and the story wonderfully well.
Not to labour the food analogy too much but there are a lot of subtle flavours in the supporting characters and it would be a mistake for any to take attention away from the hero of the dish.
At one point this movie was called "Adam Jones" and frankly it is a better title.
"Burnt" makes this film sound like a low grade studio comedy and although it is often very funny humour is just one of the ingredients to savour.
I found this movie touching, witty, loaded with sparkling dialogue and numerous performances of note (Matthew Rhys as Jones' rival needs special mention)
I cannot count the number of scenes that made me smile either through the marvelous back and forth banter or the delightful twists and turns of the plot or the terrific way that the food preparation scenes where shot.
The latter exist not to make the viewer drool as is usually the case in films where food features but rather to highlight the discipline and stakes in the world of cuisine at this level.
The opening line has Jones telling us that his mentor told him that God created oysters and apples and that it is a recipe hard to improve upon but as chefs they must try.
John Wells and screenwriters Steven Knight and Michael Kalesniko should be very proud of what they have whipped up.
Excellent.
RATING: 83/ 100
CONCLUSION: An exquisitely shot and paced film. The dialogue sizzles like one of the head chef's dishes being lovingly prepared. Touching and finely acted with a career best performance from Cooper I couldn't have liked this movie more.
Running Time: 109 minutes
Rated: TBC - Frequent profanity, no sex and very mild violence suggest an M.
Bradley Cooper's chef Adam Jones is frequently shot outdoors in this movie.
The city of London is always a distant, blurry presence because the focus is firmly, unshakably on Jones at all times.
It doesn't matter where he is - Paris, Tokyo or London- he is all that matters.
It's telling that director John Wells shoots the character this way.
Adam Jones is a man fallen from grace.
He had it all and lost it but one thing has remained constant - he only has room for himself.
'I don't do groups' he tells the therapist charged with monitoring his sobriety and mental stability.
Unfortunately a chef aiming for three Michelin stars needs people around him to achieve this goal.
As much as I love movies about food they are almost never really about food.
How could they be?
There is no drama in a sunken souffle or an overcooked steak as such - only in the way that it affects those with an interest in it.
'Interest' is an understatement as far as food and Adam Jones goes.
Arriving in Paris aged 19 and speaking no French he lied his way into a kitchen.
He worked 20 hours a day and loved every minute of the noise and the violence he tells us.
But he lost it all to drink and drugs and women.
Which is to say he lost it because he is a deeply flawed human being.
And that is the sort of movie that "Burnt" is.
It's more "As Good As It Gets" or "Tin Cup" than it is "Chef" although on the surface it might appear to be closer to the latter.
No one doubts Jones talent but it comes at a cost that few are prepared to tolerate.
His temper would make Gordon Ramsay stop in his tracks.
But through sheer will he does manage to obtain a kitchen at a hotel run by a former colleague (a terrific turn from Daniel Bruhl)
Recruiting kitchen staff made up of an ex-con, an ex-enemy and newcomers both reluctant and eager he tries to rebuild his reputation by way of the elusive Michelin 3 Star award.
 |
| Bradley Cooper, Daniel Bruhl & Sarah Greene and Sienna Miller and Cooper |
There are very few scenes in which he doesn't feature and he is electric.
I have never seen him better.
There is a danger in characters like these that an actor will overplay both the flaws and the redeeming aspects.
Cooper finds just the right level.
When Jones is unsympathetic he goes for it but finds no need to play the scant few moments of redemption too far in search of audience sympathy.
This is a character who may be worth rooting for but who is often difficult to like.
Sienna Miller as his second in charge serves as a litmus test for audience sympathies as she bears the brunt of his bad side.
Miller is a spectacularly attractive woman but this is not a role requiring glamour and stripped of it she proves that she is far more than just a pretty face.
She reveals more of the easy chemistry that she showed with Cooper in "American Sniper" and delivers a wonderful character in Helene.
I liked Omar Sy and Irish actor Sam Keeley very much as the other standouts in the kitchen.
Sarah Greene is also a welcome presence.
Hers is not a huge role but hopefully it leads to bigger and better in the near future. Apart from her obvious acting potential I could happily listen to the poetry of her Irish accented voice for hours on end.
 |
| Alicia Vikander, Matthew Rhys, Uma Thurman and Omar Sy |
At a lean 109 minutes it is very much like a great meal.
It left me wanting more even as I appreciated that it's a fine line between not quite enough and too much.
It resists the urge to fill in too much detail, trusting the viewer to do this themselves and I applaud it for this.
Sure- it is maybe a little too neat in resolving at least one plot point but I feel a bit nit-picky even bringing it up such was my enjoyment of this movie.
Alicia Vikander, Uma Thurman and Emma Thompson deserve more screen time but it is hard to argue the point too much as they fulfill the requirements of their characters and the story wonderfully well.
At one point this movie was called "Adam Jones" and frankly it is a better title.
"Burnt" makes this film sound like a low grade studio comedy and although it is often very funny humour is just one of the ingredients to savour.
I found this movie touching, witty, loaded with sparkling dialogue and numerous performances of note (Matthew Rhys as Jones' rival needs special mention)
I cannot count the number of scenes that made me smile either through the marvelous back and forth banter or the delightful twists and turns of the plot or the terrific way that the food preparation scenes where shot.
The latter exist not to make the viewer drool as is usually the case in films where food features but rather to highlight the discipline and stakes in the world of cuisine at this level.
The opening line has Jones telling us that his mentor told him that God created oysters and apples and that it is a recipe hard to improve upon but as chefs they must try.
John Wells and screenwriters Steven Knight and Michael Kalesniko should be very proud of what they have whipped up.
Excellent.
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