Rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
The culinary comedy-drama Burnt tells a likeable redemption story that could have used a little spice. Despite strong performances, especially from Bradley Cooper as a disgraced superstar chef looking for a second chance, the latest from director John Wells (August: Osage County) never quite escapes a movie-ish conventionality: every thoughtful story beat and every well-observed character moment happens with such predictability and slick professionalism that the whole project seems smothered in bland sweetness. Ironically for a film about a daredevil who wants to challenge his customers, Burnt mostly plays it safe.
Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) was once a celebrated, twice-Michelin-starred chef at a Parisian restaurant -- but he walked away from everything after his drinking and drug use overcame his culinary gifts. Adam gets clean back home in the United States, opting to spend his days shucking oysters ... until one day he decides that he's served his time, so he jets back to London for a third go at a Michelin star. Tony (Daniel Bruhl), the son of Adam's former mentor, isn't sure he wants to be embroiled with Adam again, but he can't deny the chef's genius, so he decides to invest in Adam's comeback. But has Adam really conquered his demons? An attractive sous-chef (Sienna Miller) and visits from friends and foes in his previous life show Adam that the past is very much in the present.
The issue lies with the plot, that isn’t very interesting at all because it lacks any real challenges for Adam. It’s also about as generic as one could imagine; you will be putting A to B, as the beginning credits are rolling. For instance, as he meets young, no-nonsense Chef Helene (Sienna Miller), it’s only a guessing game of when they fall in love. The movie also opens many doors that it never has the intention of closing later on. For example, early in the film, Adam moves into a young, aspiring chefs place because he has nowhere to go. He trades lessons for a room; we see him stay there for a morning, but then that’s it. Granted, we see the boy in his new kitchen, and we know he moves into the hotel to which the restaurant is in, but then why introduce us to the boy and his girlfriend.
The good news is, "Burnt" features some of Bradley Cooper’s best work. The bad news is, the role he plays is poorly developed, written as an unbelievable, unsympathetic caricature with very little soul. Cooper’s performance helps lift the character but as is often the case with a mediocre script and story, it’s not clear what exactly this movie wants to be. You’ll enjoy the great-looking movie star. The comeback story? Not so much.
Unquestionably, "Burnt" is a glamour piece for Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper. He is completely in his element as the likable asshole with the rapid-fire dialogue and the crass appeal audiences have loved from him since "The Hangover." Here, the actor is clearly channelling a witty impression of TV chef Gordon Ramsey, himself an executive producer on the film (surprise, surprise). Because Cooper has been able to speak fluent French for years, now he's just showing off and he's earned that right as an A-lister. A character like Adam Jones is whiffle ball for Bradley Cooper and far from the heavy lifting required from the likes of "American Sniper" and his David O. Russell collaborations of "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle." He's allowed an easy vacation like "Burnt."
Due entirely to his talent and appeal, two hours of Bradley-being-Bradley works and the film will rightly entertain at an acceptable superficial level. The subject is simple and the the risk is low. The food is pretty, the ensemble is smooth, and the cliches are pre-made. While "Burnt" offers a flourish or two to spark a little extra entertainment, it is far from the grass roots personal touch and smaller scale passion that was Favreau's "Chef" a year ago. "Burnt" is, in essence, more elitist and that requires you to be impressed, but only at a distance.
When the film does connect, it’s invariably thanks to Sienna Miller as Helene, Adam’s chef de partie, whose wiry physicality and stoicism in the face of her boss’s tantrums make her by some distance Burnt’s most intriguing and watchable character.
Miller’s terrific recent work – opposite Cooper again in American Sniper, plus supporting roles in Foxcatcher, Mississippi Grind and the forthcoming High Rise – feels like something of a career renaissance. In Burnt, she’s like a sliver of rare steak served on the side of a plate of plain rice.
Burnt isn’t a bad movie. It’s more tolerable and mediocre. I wasn’t begging for it to end, or chugging a pop to keep myself awake. Instead, I enjoyed the exquisite meals prepared, and the wonderful environment of the kitchen. For those who’ve ever been lucky enough to work in a restaurant or kitchen know just how incredibly chaotic, but addicting that environment is. I will say, I honestly bought Cooper as a Chef. When he stands at the pass, cleaning plates, checking temperatures, and presentation. I would have guessed he’d been in the kitchen for years. But he, of course, channels Gordon Ramsay (who was a chef consultant on the film) in a few scenes to remind us, there is no such thing as a calm chef—which is only three-quarters true. Burnt isn’t delicious, and can use some seasoning, as for those who see it with high expectations will know it is bland.
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