We probably average a movie every two weeks, but we were tired of driving to Allentown or Stroudsburg to see some quality cinema. After an experiment with “Inquality for All,” which drew an audience of over 60 people, Bruce, the manager of the Mahoning Valley Cinema, worked with Linda to bring in more of independent productions and serious films.
Here’s how it works. When a quality film is showing at Mahoning, Linda emails all of the people in the Exceptional Film Club. They receive a two dollar discount by showing a coupon attached to the email. The first one Bruce was able to get was “Philomena,” followed recently by “The Grand Budapest Hotel.”
Now “Chef” is showing. Here is my review:
Chef belongs to a genre of food movies like Babette’s Feast, Big Night, and yes, Ratatouille. You leave the theater with a craving for excellent cuisine, even if you’ve already had a large bag of buttered popcorn.
Director and star Jon Favreau is a chef with integrity. When Dustin Hoffman, his restaurant boss, demands he serve the same old menu that brings customers through the door, the two get into a shouting match that is captured on film and goes viral on the internet.
The Chef, with the help of ex-wife Sofia Vergara (of Modern Family) and her very funny ex-ex-husband Robert Downey, obtains a food truck in Miami and drives it across the country. The road trip includes cubanos in Miami, po boys in New Orleans, and barbecue in Austin.
Thus we have cooking, road trip, buddy movie, family reconnecting movie (Emjay Anthony as the ten-year-old is a wonder), and personal redemption movie. All of this with a great soundtrack featuring Cuban and blues bands.
The movie is rated R (mostly for bad language), which is a shame, because ten-year-olds would enjoy it. Running time is 115 minutes. Four stars.
If you live in the Lehighton area and would like to join the most informal organization you’ll ever be a part of, email <LAChris@ptd.net> and enroll today.
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