masonsaul

Chef is a bit of much needed cinematic therapy for writer, director, producer and star Jon Favreau that uses the culinary word as a fitting metaphor for filmmaking. It's cinematic comfort food at its finest with more than enough cooking scenes designed to make you so hungry and there's plenty of heart revolving around a father and son reconnecting. It's conflict free for the most part and the vanity is fairly restrained.

Despite giving himself both Scarlett Johansson and Sofia Vegara as love interests, Jon Favreau remains likeable in the lead. It's the classic archetype of a very talented artist who puts their craft above all else and even when he's ignoring the more important parts of his life, Favreau's performance never pushes it too far. The supporting cast has a lot of big names who are really entertaining, especially Robert Downey Jr's small part.

Emjay Anthony is great by bringing a relatable yearning to just spend time with his dad and will try to understand his love of cooking to do so. Their growing bond brings all the necessary heart in a way some of the other heartwarming aspects aren't able to. John Leguizamo is a major highlight as one of the nicest and most loyal supporting characters who stands by Favreau and helps him fulfil his vision in a way that makes the second half so warm.

Jon Favreau's direction ensures the cooking scenes make the food look as appealing as possible throughout and the biggest conflicts are front-loaded so the majority of the film is powered on good vibes and the general breezy construction of it. The personal nature of the story is made clear in the early arguments about sticking to the safe options to avoid any risk. The soundtrack is heavy on the licensed music which only adds to the easygoing vibe that makes it endlessly watchable.

Bank of Dave 2: The Lone Ranger is an unexpected sequel that actually finds a worthwhile story to tell and its greatest strength lies in putting the best aspect mostly front and centre this time. It's hindered by an extremely cliché romantic subplot and it seriously jumps the shark towards the end but it always remains entertaining, enhanced by the continued celebration of a genuinely kind and thoughtful person.

Rory Kinnear is easily the best thing about these thanks to his endlessly loveable presence and the increased screen time only improves his performance by giving him more to work with and his accent is faultless yet again. Chrissy Metz and Amit Shah do a good job making the weakest element work as well as it can since their budding romance is cute enough to almost warrant every diversion taken for it.

Returning director Chris Foggin brings a workmanlike quality to proceedings so it's all solidly constructed without anything in particular standing out. Generally, it's very blunt in what it's doing and a lot of the dialogue really lacks subtlety as it makes grand statements in the broadest and most generic fashion possible, especially when it comes to the songs implemented through karaoke.

A Real Pain is an incredible comedy drama that's equal parts funny and moving. It's dealing with a difficult subject matter and it handles it so gracefully by being extremely comfortable with silence to ensure the heaviest moments are given the necessary weight. As a tightly paced 90 minute movie which is always moving, it remains highly investing throughout and contains really strong performances across the board.

Jesse Eisenberg gives himself the lead role with barely a hint of vanity. There's an awkwardness to everything he does that the film is ready to unpack and the combination of envy and anger he has for Culkin's extroverted nature explodes in a single, incredibly gripping scene. He and Culkin make a great pairing because they are complete opposites who have become a bit distant and all of it is let out over the course of their journey.

Kieran Culkin is just amazing as a complicated person who always remains empathetic even as he pushes people away. He's simultaneously the life of the party and the most disruptive one as he's clearly struggling with his own grief. Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes and Kurt Egyiawan bring their own experiences which substantially enhances the film and they're all a pleasure to spend time with.

Compared to his first film behind the camera, writer & director Jesse Eisenberg has massively levelled up in almost every way. This is so much more visually ambitious and full of colour whilst still being able to put the performances front and centre. It comes full circle beautifully and has a firm grasp of the overall tone with dialogue that feels awkward and emotional in a realistic fashion. The use of classical music works wonderfully and is constantly used at the right moment.