This was originally going to be a response to bighalsy, but I thought since I had a lot to say, it might work better as a review, so here it is. In relation to bighalsy's mention of Food Network, I doubt anyone who likes the Food Network (and I do not) would enjoy this film any more than I did. While my review is largely negative, the film did not put me to sleep, and I did get to see some interesting food, so that's why I gave it a 6.
This film conveys next to nothing about designing recipes, running a kitchen, or indeed running a whole restaurant. Don't get me wrong, there are a few brief minutes of interesting footage of concoctions you will never see anywhere else. But that's it, unless you are really, really, really interested in peeling back the skin from heated milk and other such liquids. They nailed that, so you'll be a pro after watching this. But if someone tries to tell me that's a metaphor for the handing off of the restaurant, ... please just don't.
Worse, the film conveys next to nothing about the Bras family, unless they truly are that dull and boring and 2-dimensional. I don't believe it.
There are some moments where you can tell the filmmakers are really trying to make an emotional climax, like when the elder Bras is at the beach, again in denial about the end of his career, but it just doesn't work. It feels fake, because after that scene, everything just keeps going on.
Nobody changes or grows in this film. Seasons pass. It means nothing.
It's so infuriating, because the opportunity to make a great film was right there. Forget the family, but the food would have made a wonderful film. How do they create some of these unusual foods from scratch? How do they select the placement on the plate? How do they select the ingredients, as freshness varies throughout the year? How are reservations made? Who sits at which table? What is the layout of the restaurant, and how is it used? Opportunities to discover and learn are endless.
There are some people who are named by printing their names at the bottom centre of the screen. Whoever decided this was a good idea neglected to consider what would happen when subtitles need to use that space. To avoid overlap, sometimes the subtitles became supertitles. In my theatre that meant they weren't visible at all, because the top portion of the film was off the top of the screen. It was a trifecta of poor planning on the part of filmmakers, subtitler, and projectionist.
Now, for those who want to see a film about father and son chefs, I recommend Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011). That film is exciting, and packed with information about the food, the restaurants, and the men running each. I didn't even like them, but I like the film about them. That's one way to know it's a good film.
This film conveys next to nothing about designing recipes, running a kitchen, or indeed running a whole restaurant. Don't get me wrong, there are a few brief minutes of interesting footage of concoctions you will never see anywhere else. But that's it, unless you are really, really, really interested in peeling back the skin from heated milk and other such liquids. They nailed that, so you'll be a pro after watching this. But if someone tries to tell me that's a metaphor for the handing off of the restaurant, ... please just don't.
Worse, the film conveys next to nothing about the Bras family, unless they truly are that dull and boring and 2-dimensional. I don't believe it.
There are some moments where you can tell the filmmakers are really trying to make an emotional climax, like when the elder Bras is at the beach, again in denial about the end of his career, but it just doesn't work. It feels fake, because after that scene, everything just keeps going on.
Nobody changes or grows in this film. Seasons pass. It means nothing.
It's so infuriating, because the opportunity to make a great film was right there. Forget the family, but the food would have made a wonderful film. How do they create some of these unusual foods from scratch? How do they select the placement on the plate? How do they select the ingredients, as freshness varies throughout the year? How are reservations made? Who sits at which table? What is the layout of the restaurant, and how is it used? Opportunities to discover and learn are endless.
There are some people who are named by printing their names at the bottom centre of the screen. Whoever decided this was a good idea neglected to consider what would happen when subtitles need to use that space. To avoid overlap, sometimes the subtitles became supertitles. In my theatre that meant they weren't visible at all, because the top portion of the film was off the top of the screen. It was a trifecta of poor planning on the part of filmmakers, subtitler, and projectionist.
Now, for those who want to see a film about father and son chefs, I recommend Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011). That film is exciting, and packed with information about the food, the restaurants, and the men running each. I didn't even like them, but I like the film about them. That's one way to know it's a good film.
