(SPOILER WARNING!!! This article does contain spoilers, if you haven’t seen the movie, just see the first paragraph to be informed without spoilers!!!)

Burnt started off very interesting and good, but in the end the cliches made this movie just like its title.

Rating: 3 Stars

I don’t know about you, but there has been a lot of shows dealing with chefs and cooking. Last year there was two of them with the movie Chef and The 100 Foot Journey. Both of these movies really painted a picture for me of life as a chef and restaurant owner. The hardship of long hours, dealing with pressure, and politics that come with it, and how their rating system works and why it is so important. Chefs are celebrities as well. It did open my eyes to that sort of life, and it is a stressful life as like any other career. It also deals with the drive of becoming the best, and cooking is no exception for that kind of drive. So when the movie burnt came out that starred Bradley Cooper, i already know all the vocabulary that comes with the chef lifestyle, and already have a better understanding of what is going on. So with the movie Burnt, they have to bring in a different angle of this lifestyle to make this movie stand on its own. It didn’t.

What I Like: The movie did start of with a lot of potential. They developed the character of Adam Jones, played by Bradley Cooper, exceptionally. From the beginning, we know his story and what drives him. He is a two star chef who had it all, but his life of partying and drugs really got him into deep trouble where he lost it all. After going back to America and work as an oyster shucker, he gets enough money to go to London to be a chef at a new restaurant and go for the elusive third star. You kind of feel for this guy, and pulling for him to be successful. You can tell he has worked hard to improve himself, but his past demons always come back to bite him in one way or another. I thought Bradley Cooper acted very well, though not Oscar worthy (not even close to his better performances in other movies). He really dives into his role, and becomes like Chef Gordon Ramsey with his temper and the way he treats other people to make the perfect dishes. Probably his best part is when he got screwed in getting his third star, he went back to a path of drugs and almost committed suicide because of it. It shows how serious it is for him, and how it could really affect his life. Another scene which I found interesting was when he is meeting with Helene, played by Sienna Miller, at a Burger King. She is complaining why they are meeting here and eating their awful food (for the record, I love Burger King). He says that people like these fast food restaurants because they are affordable and consistent, but to be the best you have think beyond consistent and become perfect. I thought that was a great food for thought in achieving whatever you want to be and go beyond consistency and be perfect.

The So So: Since i already seen movies dealing with life as a chef and restaurant owner, this movie didn’t show anything different. It did pertain to the story, but it was almost like I seen this before. Just like in dealing with food at a restaurant, you have to ask yourself, what can i do to be unique? For this movie, they didn’t do that, which brought its quality down.

What I Didn’t Like: As good as the movie started, it created a cliched ending which really brought it down. So once Adam Jones got everything going the cliches came through. Such as, their first night was a disaster, and have to work their respect back. How the important food critics are there and he messed it up real badly, which led him to become a druggie and suicidal. Only to find out, that they weren’t food critics (reason was really lame), and had another shot. When he got that shot, he nailed it, and gets the third star. Then the cliched ending of how he is not a people’s person, and now all of a sudden he is. Then the ending was abrupt (eyes rolling). It was just a big mess at the end, and that was greatly disappointing. Just like a good dish when you set it up you can’t wait to eat it, but one mistake, and it will burn, and disappoint you. That was what this movie was, a burnt disappointment.

Overall: The movie had potential, but the cliched ending made it borderline horrible. If more movies about chefs and restaurants are coming, they better find a way to make it unique, if not, it will be at best, mediocre like a fast food restaurant (though mediocre in food is cool with me).

(Sidenote: Little Boy- This movie is really about a boy named Pepper, played by Jakob Salvati, who is suffering from a growth disorder,, and has been tagged the name “Little Boy.” It was set during World War II where Pepper’s dad was drafted to war, and Pepper brings a belief that he will come back in one piece even though the odds are against him. The movie deals with different themes of racism, religion, and coming to terms with reality. Though Salvati’s acting was very subpar, he does bring in an emotional aspect that really added a good touch for this movie. The best part is when he does reunite with his dad, and it made it very touching.
Rating; 3.5 Stars)