Rating: B
Bradley Cooper’s newest drama “Burnt” will leave a good taste in the audience’s mouth.
The movie, directed by John Wells, begins in New Orleans with Cooper starring as Adam Jones, a young chef who loses his newfound fame to drugs and wild behavior. He left his failing restaurant in London to punish himself for his past mistakes.
(photo courtesy movieposterdb.com)
Moving forward a few years, Jones cleans up his act and heads back to London, only to be reunited on bad terms with a past coworker, Tony, played by Daniel Brühl. Adam ruined Tony’s father’s restaurant before he left, causing their first encounter to be extremely awkward and tense. He has a proposition for Tony, however. In order to make Tony’s restaurant great again, he asks to be head chef. He hopes to achieve his goal to earn the establishment three Michelin stars and make it one of the best restaurants in the world.
Tony reluctantly agrees and decides to hire him on the spot, giving him complete control of the kitchen and employees. At first, Adam runs the kitchen similar to what someone would see on “Hell’s Kitchen.” He constantly yells and belittles his staff, throws food away if it isn’t up to his incredibly high expectations. Overall, he is unbearable to work with. Throughout the movie, Adam transitions from an “everyone for themselves” mentality to striving for teamwork throughout the kitchen. As time goes on, the staff is able to bring success to the restaurant and come together as a family.
Quite a bit of drama happens in and out of the kitchen. Adam is being blackmailed for money by two men to whom he’s indebted, there is fierce competition with other restaurants, not to mention the drugs, alcohol and demons from Adam’s past that continue to haunt him. To top it off, there is a sneaky member of the kitchen who is determined to ruin Adam’s chances of gaining the third Michelin star.
Aside from the dramatic elements in the film, there is some romance mixed in between Jones and his sous chef Helene, played by Sienna Miller. It is a romance that the viewer knows is going to happen but is left wondering “when” because the two deny their feelings for so long. This isn’t a movie to see if you just want romance, however, because there’s about 15 minutes of it overall.
The language during the movie is incredibly strong, giving it the R rating it deserves. The notorious F-bomb was screamed often, making the audience feel uncomfortable at times.
This is the ideal movie for people who love food or just want to spice up their lives temporarily. There are many different and delicious-looking dishes that are shown on screen, so be sure to stock up on popcorn and snacks before hitting the theater. This is not a movie to watch while you’re hungry.
