Chef

There’s much else on his film’s menu, but writer/director/star John Favreau is unmistakably the presiding spirit at the heart of this rollicking crowd-pleaser. Favreau plays Carl Casper, a Florida-based chef and gourmand given to robust tastes and adventurous cuisine. He’s also trying to be more of a father to young Percy (Emjay Anthony), who lives mostly with Carl’s ex-wife, Inez (Sofía Vergara). Renewed attention to family responsibilities becomes even more complicated when Carl has a falling out with the restaurant owner (Dustin Hoffman) who bankrolls his culinary endeavors. With a little help from a friendly assortment of old pals and former associates, Carl rebounds from these setbacks by setting up business in a refurbished food truck and taking it on the road, heading west from Florida, with Percy and longtime sidekick Martin (John Leguizamo) on board as his crew. There’s an amiable sort of predictability to most of this, and it may be only the prevailing spirit of rambunctious camaraderie that holds the story and its characters together. Pageant Theatre. Rated R