Chef

Critics Consensus

Chef's charming cast and sharp, funny script add enough spice to make this feel-good comedy a flavorful -- if familiar -- treat.

87%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 188

85%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 59,811

Where to watch

Rate And Review

User image

Verified

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Step 2 of 2

    How did you buy your ticket?

    Let's get your review verified.

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

    You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

  • User image

    Super Reviewer

    Rate this movie

    Oof, that was Rotten.

    Meh, it passed the time.

    It’s good – I’d recommend it.

    Awesome!

    So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

    What did you think of the movie? (optional)

  • How did you buy your ticket?

    • Fandango

    • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

    • Cinemark Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Regal Coming Soon

      We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

    • Theater box office or somewhere else

    By opting to have your ticket verified for this movie, you are allowing us to check the email address associated with your Rotten Tomatoes account against an email address associated with a Fandango ticket purchase for the same movie.

Chef Videos

View All Videos (1)

Chef Photos

View All Photos (11)

Movie Info

Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what's next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen -- and zest for life and love. (c) Open Road
  • Rating:
    R (for language, including some suggestive referneces)
  • Genre:
    Comedy
  • Directed By:
    Jon Favreau
  • Written By:
    Jon Favreau
  • In Theaters:
     limited
  • On Disc/Streaming:
  • Box Office:
    $23,678,226
  • Runtime:
  • Studio:
    Open Road Films

Cast

Jon Favreau
as Carl Casper
Sofía Vergara
as Inez
John Leguizamo
as Martin
Bobby Cannavale
as Tony
Dustin Hoffman
as Riva
Scarlett Johansson
as Molly
Oliver Platt
as Ramsey Michel
Robert Downey Jr.
as Marvin
Emjay Anthony
as Percy
Amy Sedaris
as Jen
Russell Peters
as Miami Cop
Chase Grimm
as Vendor
Will Schutze
as Mr. Bonetangles
Gloria Sandoval
as Flora
Jose C. Hernández "Perico"
as Abuelito
Alberto Salas
as Band Member
Alfredo Ortiz
as Band Member
Daniel Palacio
as Band Member
Mauricio DelMonte
as Band Member
Leonardo DaNilo
as Versailles Host
Nili Fuller
as Marvin's Assistant
Charles Lao
as Kitchen Supply Clerk
Benjamin Jacob
as Himself
Aaron Franklin
as Himself
Gary Clark Jr
as Himself
Roy Choi
as Himself
View All

News & Interviews for Chef

Free Movies Online: 200 Fresh Movies to Watch Online For Free
The Matrix Trilogy, Bad Santa, Chef, and More on Netflix and Amazon Prime This Week
Rank Scarlett Johansson’s 10 Best Movies
View All

Critic Reviews for Chef

All Critics (188) | Top Critics (47) | Fresh (164) | Rotten (24)

  • It's such a treat to see such an endearing slice o' life in the middle of this blockbuster season. There's not a single comic book character in sight.

    January 5, 2015 | Rating: 3.5/5 | Full Review…

    Liz Braun

    Toronto Sun
    Top Critic

  • The result is a small, unashamedly feel-good film that makes up for what it lacks in dramatic jeopardy with gentle comedy, heartwarming family scenes, ladles of food porn, and time spent among characters you like.

    July 7, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Laurence Phelan

    Independent (UK)
    Top Critic

  • Chef is a foodie-gasm of a film, directed by and starring Jon Favreau as a designer cook past his sell-by date, who goes on a road trip from Miami to Los Angeles to find his soul -- and soul food.

    July 7, 2014 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Kate Muir

    Times (UK)
    Top Critic

  • Jon Favreau's enjoyable and good-natured farce is a rarity in that (as its title tells us) it takes a chef as its central character and treats his profession with something approaching respect.

    June 27, 2014 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

    Geoffrey Macnab

    Independent (UK)
    Top Critic

  • Here's Chef to show us all, for now and evermore, just what a vanity project really looks like. A public service, in its way.

    June 27, 2014 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    David Sexton

    London Evening Standard
    Top Critic

  • There's nourishment to be had, if you lower your expectations. But be warned: a lot of it is just watching Jon Favreau make toasties in a van.

    June 26, 2014 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

    Catherine Shoard

    Guardian
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (188)

Audience Reviews for Chef

  • Jan 07, 2018
    Chef was a heart and heartwarming movie, partial due to the fact it is perfectly cast. This story and writing feel so real and authentic, you can relate to the story in some way. All the food in this film looks fantastic and so do the people cooking it, hats of to the director and cinematographer.
    Super Reviewer
  • Oct 22, 2017
    Never has food looked this delicious on the screen. If you watch this film hungry, you will probably starve, if you watch it full, you'll get hungry again. For a film about a chef trying to fulfill his dream of a food truck, that may be a no-brainer but actually plays a pretty big role here, because it's an important character trait for Favreau's chef. The great cast clearly had fun with his, quite a few dialogs feel improvised and very natural. The film also portrays a pretty realistic use of social media and the times we live in, if you'd wanna see that negatively you could say it's a long Twitter commercial. That'd be cynical, which the film is everything but. A light-hearted, lovable and entertaining feel good movie that makes you wanna eat delicious food and travel the US.
    Jens S Super Reviewer
  • Jun 15, 2015
    This seems more like a project of pure egocentrism and self-indulgence from Jon Favreau, as he plays an idiot surrounded by gorgeous women like Sofia Vergara and Scarlett Johansson in a feel-good story that will only feel good to himself - really, it doesn't even have a real conflict.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Jun 09, 2015
    Writer, director, and actor Jon Favreau cements his place as an underrated Hollywood gem with Chef, a film that surprises with its ingenuity. Focused on a chef who suffers humiliation at the hands of a critic and then finds his true calling and happiness in the form of a broken-down food truck, Chef is a Hollywood film that stands out from the rest. We get characters with nuance and heart, we get positivity, we get humor, and we get an outstanding study of family dynamics. It is perhaps the greatest example of a modern day father-son relationship as has yet to be put on screen. It's funny, engaging, heart-felt, and intelligent and a must see. A huge win for Favreau. 4/5 Stars
    Jeffrey M Super Reviewer
See all Audience reviews

Chef Quotes

View All Quotes

Movie & TV guides