“Honestly, sometimes I don’t even know why I see certain movies. Because they’re there, I guess. Sort of the deal with Burnt. Wide release, Bradley Cooper, no red flags for things I won’t like, tepid but not scathing reviews. Sure why not. It’s how we do.
Bradley Cooper stars as an arrogant chef who is coming off a self inflicted penance for throwing away his career and rising star status. Now that he’s got his life back in order, he’s on a mission to regain his reputation and prove himself to be among the best of the best. In an unplanned twist of fate, both of my movies for this weekend showcased careers that I would never want. Our Brand Is Crisis and it’s look into political life being the other.
Why don’t I want to be a chef? Wow, this movie made so many arguments against it. Frankly, Cooper’s Adam Jones is a total @$$. Arrogant and mean and judgemental and not the type of person I would want to surround myself with, and even less want yelling at my perceived incompetence in the workplace. No thank you. So many of the characters in the movie were total food snobs, whereas I’m perfectly content to eat a happy meal. You’d think if nothing else, the fancy looking food would make me hungry, or at least that’s what I expected. The small portions of things that look more like art than food just do not get me going. Seriously, happy meal. Emphasis on the happy!
It wasn’t a particularly remarkable movie, but it was a pleasant enough experience. A little cliche and contrived and a lot predictable, even as a seemingly irredeemable character Cooper has charisma. Although MVP for me would be Daniel Bruhl as his business partner and maitre d’. Kind of an interesting look into a lifestyle I know little about, but ultimately, I’m not likely to remember it past next week.
Burnt – \m/ \m/ \m/”