Turn of the century (not this one) France with the rise of an adventurous chef experimenting with culinary combinations previously impossible, is the tasty setting here. Opening with a meticulous and lengthy food prep scene that feels good enough to sniff, "Taste of Things" is a loving ode to the craft of culinary magic largely destroyed by present day reality television. It is sweet, dedicated, artful and reverential.
It is also lacking proper exploration of the human characters involved. As the tale of a longtime chef and his equally adept cook, this is a love story of a partnership without any bite. Much of the human interaction is banal and staged, with a dearth of character development. Instead the players are presented much like the dishes: served on a plate, ready to consume, easily digestible, posed as a carefully lit oil painting. They exist solely in the moment. Emotions are rendered bland, even when love, life and death are involved. Too bad, because there is much to work with here.
The food prep, creation and devouring is the sumptuous lure for seeing this delicious (looking) film, which should come with an inevitable hunger warning. While the kitchen is the real star, the story is only half-baked. That is all.
It is also lacking proper exploration of the human characters involved. As the tale of a longtime chef and his equally adept cook, this is a love story of a partnership without any bite. Much of the human interaction is banal and staged, with a dearth of character development. Instead the players are presented much like the dishes: served on a plate, ready to consume, easily digestible, posed as a carefully lit oil painting. They exist solely in the moment. Emotions are rendered bland, even when love, life and death are involved. Too bad, because there is much to work with here.
The food prep, creation and devouring is the sumptuous lure for seeing this delicious (looking) film, which should come with an inevitable hunger warning. While the kitchen is the real star, the story is only half-baked. That is all.
- hipCRANK.