Burnt

Burnt (2015) is about a chef who lost his standing trying to come back in London. Adam Jones ran a two Michelin star kitchen in Paris. Drugs and drink destroyed all of it; it ended in debt, a scattered team and a closed restaurant. He punished himself by shucking a million oysters at a bar in New Orleans, and now he is back in London. His plan is simple: get a third star. To do it he finds one of his old team, takes over his restaurant, and gathers his former colleagues. Most of them are furious with him. The best of it is the kitchen. The hierarchy during service, the checking of plates, a sauce sent back, the chef shouting at the line are all shown realistically; real chefs consulted and the food is not decoration made for camera. Adam Jones is deliberately unlikeable. He believes his talent obliges everyone to tolerate him, and at one point the film rejects that outright. Bradley Cooper stars; he worked in kitchens for the part. Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl and Uma Thurman are in the cast. John Wells directed. It was shot in two star kitchens and the plates were prepared by working chefs. It did not do well and critics said it treated the character too forgivingly. The ending closes too neatly. It runs 101 minutes. Good for: food films, the world of kitchens, and character drama. Less good for: the lead is unpleasant and the story is predictable.