This movie is an allegory for John Favreau’s experience in Hollywood. He had a strong start until producers and studio execs stifled his creativity. His quality suffered so he went indie. Eventually he found someone who supported what he wanted to do and now he’s making good stuff on his own terms again.
And then he made the Lion King ''Live Action'' one of the best examples of how lifeless Hollywood treats movies. Not as art/entertainment form, but a jug of coins you can shake or break when you need cash. Even worse, it was Disney who cannibalized one of their best animation movies and made ''that''. Jon Favreau honestly had my respect with this movie and I love how he did the first Iron Man, but right now he is just as much a studio head as those guys you mentioned before.
As a chef (like me), this Movie is such an Inspiration when youre in a bad mood without motivation. Its a feel good movie and the complete opposite of the job as a chef. And thats what i love about it. And realy, when it would be easy i def. would cook in a food truck but here in germany its totally unrealistic. Youve so much formalities and laws about it, just too complicated
There's a Netflix series, where he goes into a lot of cooking with the consulting chef, and special guests. This was also a satire, about the making of Iron Man 2, where he felt like he was constrained, and had little direction in the movie. (Represented in this movie, by the owner of the restaurant, and the puppet, dancing on strings. )
@@jimhsfbay you don't have to think about it that much for it to sabotage the drama of the movie. He's supposed to be down on his luck and depressed but he's a schlub banging Scarlett Johansson. Kind of undermines his mid life crisis.
Love the videos with your father. Your dad being a chef, The Menu is a look at fine dining today and what it has become and is a horror/suspense/mystery movie.
Thank you George for sharing your dad, your insight and your culture. Please remember when reading negative comments that there are thousands of people who love what you guys do.
George, shout out to you and your dad! There is something that is just so very wholesome about when you have him on the show, I love how you have the discussions with him about things in your life or his life. You really know how to just put the topic out in the open air, and it always ends up with him showcasing that unique sagely wisdom. On top of that it's so cool to see his genuine reactions to these movies and the relevance they hold in your lives. I love to see your father/son dynamic and I can tell you guys love each other. My dad passed away back in Septe mber, and although it's probably a cliche for me to say: "Cherish these moments together." I really miss these conversations between dad and I. It's such a blessing and wonderful feeling to have a dad that shares a deep bond with you, and I certainly took it all for granted for the majority of my 41 years. Tell your dad I appreciate him and all that he has shared with this community. He is a legitimately honest example of what a man/dad should be. I hope you guys have a great time hanging out now and in the future! Take care you guys!
The interesting thing for me is how the story of Chef mirrors Favreau’s own career especially with marvel/disney. He got a lot of renown as a creative young director. Then he gets hired by a big company for a project that becomes wildly successful and skyrockets him into superstardom. After that he gets stifled creatively because the owners just want him to keep making the same thing without any new creative changes and he gets slammed by fans and critics. It really is his own story from Swingers to Iron Man and Iron Man 2 and his subsequent passion projects and smaller work behind the scenes.
Yeah, never confirmed officially but widely accepted that this was autobiographical for Favreau. There are also parallels with his coworkers, seeing the people that helped him work on his films get promoted to higher positions in big budget productions like Tony was promoted to head chef, as well as those willing to work on smaller independent, creative, labor of love films like Martin jumping ship to work on a taco truck for no guarantee of a paycheck.
One of my favorite indie movies, especially if you’re talking about the last ten years. Not only is the story heartwarming, but it’s also a good metaphor of regaining one’s creativity when you’ve burnt out working for a corporation, and, yes, a good father-son story.
I love this film because it throws tradition screenplay act structure on the ground and stomps on it. Great writers can subvert the rules and that is what Favreau does here. Instead of structure, he focuses on pure pleasure, every frame is bursting with love. I was so glad this was a success when it came out.
@@gishgali8354 You can tell this is a passion project from the way it’s made. Every bit of the plot feels like it’s happened to him personally-only in another context. It’s like he’s had these fights, these frustrations, and struggled to find a way to strike back against them. It’s similar to how I felt about Swingers, where it just felt like a story that felt like more like a biopic.
@@mojoshiversI don't think it's any coincidence that he made this movie after the first two Iron Man's (...Iron Men?) and iirc, after he passed on Iron Man 3. Gives a lot of context!
@@JamesWhoMakesGames For sure. Iron Man 2 I heard was a slog for him and soured him on working as a creator for the MCU. He’s still in as Happy, but never again as a director.
@@JamesWhoMakesGames For sure. Iron Man 2 I heard was a slog for him and soured him on working as a creator for the MCU. He’s still in as Happy, but never again as a director.
George I love these videos with your dad. With every one we get to know you both more and more along with your lives and culture. So good to get to meet him through this. Blessings on your family this coming year!
Oh my gosh, I would love to see you and your dad react to the movie, the menu. Maybe you already have or maybe you watched it together but that movie scared the shit out of me. Giggle, giggle, plot twist, old-school, but not.Effing awesome. Speaking, southern, your dad is a peach!
I always check out the presentation on a dish first. There is a restaurant in Saskatoon, called Bon Temps Cafe, and one dish they make literally changed how I look at food. I ordered 'The Firebird', which is a cajun inspired dish of 3 pieces of chilie fried chicken on a golden waffle, with julienned pickles on top and drizzled with maple syrup. Was an amazing visual when it first as brought out to me, but the flavor... it's the best thing I had ever eaten in my life. I felt like I had never really tasted food until the first bite into that. Crazy good. From that evening, I have looked at food differently, not only appreciating it because I am hungry, but also seeing, and tasting, the artistry that goes into the meal's experience.
oh you two will LOVE this..very accurate depiction, and just well done all around **ADD-on!: The cornstarch thing is REAL lol. "chef ass" is horrible..long hours + heat/humidity end up making you get heat/sweat rashes around your ass and balls lol..the worst
This was great! I love food, I love cooking, and I think good chefs are something special and make the world a better place (but I'm also *way* too lazy to ever consider a career in the restaurant business). When I saw Chef in theaters, I honestly thought it was a little too eager to please, and wanted something a little more rooted, less trying to entertain. Watching it through your dad's eyes has really turned me around on the film; being able to see it with his expertise and experience, and watching you two interact, was a real privilege. Thanks so much!
George, I adore these videos with your dad, they're some of the most wholesome things I've ever watched. Take full advantage while you can, spending bonding time with him. What I wouldn't give to just hear my dad's voice again... ETA: Jon Favreau is professional chef in California, I believe. And he was a producer for some of the Marvel movies. Thought your dad might be interested. 😊
Jon Favreau is an actor/director/producer. He directed Iron Man 2008. He got Roy Choi as a consultant for Chef. They met because Gwenyth Paltrow got Roy to bring his food truck (Kogi) to the Iron Man set. Jon and Roy went on to make The Chef Show for Netflix in 2019. Jon has learned so much from Roy that he is almost a chef in his own right.
Amazing movie. Have a look at Roy Choi, the American-Korean chef who consulted on the movie and made the step depicted in it: from chef to Food Truck-culinary cooking. He also features in the series they made afterwards, which I would very much recommend. (it's a cooking-show, featuring all kinds of dishes in the style of the movie, following Favreau's interests). Wanted to mention I also really liked John Leguizamo in this, love that guy. The bit in New Orleans with the big band is just straight up goosebumps everytime!
Yes! I love this movie! I worked in the movie theater when this came out and the audience stood up and applauded after this movie 😮 that had never happened before. 😅
If you ever do another one of these with your dad, you should check out The Hundred-Foot Journey (2014), about an Indian family that moves to a small French town and opens a restaurant across the street from the local Michelin starred restaurant. It's a really good movie staring Helen Mirren.
George, don't take this the wrong way, but now I understand why you're "so well fed", hahaha.... EDIT: Oh, yes.... you just made a very common mistake with this movie: watching it while hungry. This movie is just food p*rn.
I'm loving this watchalong with the two of ya. I just have to say, there are some things yer dad was saying that I swear he was alluding to Tampopo, lol. Ask him if he's seen it, please. I sometimes watch this one with 2015's Burnt, with Bradley Cooper. There is a 1985 Japanese film also with the theme of food, Tampopo, that I can not recommend highly enough for you both to watch. You don't even have to 'work' on a reaction vid, just something you can sit back to and enjoy. I swear to this day I still use some of the lessons I learned from this gem of a film. There are a couple of HD versions for free on uTube to be found or you could pay for one that includes the end credits.
I love this movie, but I also love that your dad is an experienced chef and can comment on it, as I know nothing of the restaurant industry, it was interesting to know if certain things were true to life or exaggerated for the movie. I really enjoy the videos with your dad in them, he’s a cool dude!
Maybe next time your dad is around you guys could watch Stephen Chow's God of Cookery. It's basically a martial arts film but instead of fights they hold fantastical cooking competitions.
Love this movie! I know I’ve commented it a few times before, but do yourself a favor and react to SWINGERS! It’s an awesome movie that put Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, and Ron Livingston, Among others, on the map! One of my all time favorites.
I'm still fairly new to the channel but i very much enjoy your content. The 'standard' videos with you two are always fun, but i've quickly come to also love the videos you do with your dad!
Oh George, this was such a perfect movie for you to watch with your father. I love how he wanted to share his life experience as a head chef with you,. I don't know your Dad at all, but it felt like he was subtly boasting to you about how many times he got job offers from other restaurant owners. I also got the feeling that he wanted you to praise his food and talk about particular dishes. You should definitely get him to cook for you so you can show your appreciation of his food - he did mention 3 times that that's the best part of being a chef.
Just got around to watching this, great reaction with you pops. Loved your line too at 23:18 when you said, "there's a limit to how many meals you have in your life. Make the most out of each one." Amen to that 🙏
Also, that BBQ joint in Austin is Franklin's and its bar none the best Brisket I've ever had. The musician playing during that is Gary Clark Jr. an incredible blues guitarist and it shows that Jon really took into account not just the foods but the locations and care that come with local food ranging from New Orleans to Miami to their music scenes too.
The more I watch you interact with your dad, the more I think it would truly be an event to meet him. But now, the honor would be to be invited to his home for a meal he prepared. Great relationship you two have.
Thank you so much for sharing this side of your dad's life with us. I love this movie celebrating different cuisines and cultures just the way you are doing on this channel.
Food is such a foundational element to culture. After we are born, it’s our first distinctive encounter with our cultures, the food we grow up with. Cultures express themselves in many ways, but it always starts with the food. It’s the one form of cultural appropriation that is not instantly vilified. It’s an entryway for us to learn about different cultures, and an entryway for cultures to gain acceptance in different places. Food both brings us together and allows us to differentiate ourselves in positive ways.
I love this movie, yes I am a chef but the journey this chef goes on was fun to watch. Also, I respect his business model starting with the food truck, and making the restaurant in the same motif as the truck.
Thank you both for sharing yourselves with others. Cooking and creating good food has always been something that I love, and believe it has an incredible ability to allow people to share what truly makes us human.
"movies like this are very close to my heart" couldnt have said it better. Im not a chef by any means, but I have been cooking since I was 11 and learning the ways from my mom that was taught to her by her mom and so on - and now that Im 36, Ive been just trying shit at home and keeping a recipe book. I love to cook but I would probably never do it professionally. I just like feeding my friends lol
Have you guys seen Eat Drink Man Woman? Chinese chef dealing with his daughters and cooking up a storm. Amazing movie. Thanks for reacting. This was great, seeing you Dad smile and relate to the material. Really enjoyed it.
Your dad made me appreciate this movie more than I had in the past. I've watched it multiple times out of sheer enjoyment of the characters, food, locations, etc...But, to have a chef reflect on his love of flavor, his experiencing customers' enjoyment, his reflection on the kitchen environment, and his testament to realism regarding a chef's tendencies just enhanced everything!
Couldn't help but notice both of you scratching your opposite arms in the same way at the same time after sharing this moment. Your dad talking to you about his experience, and you sharing this thing that you do with him. Metaphorically and literally heartwarming.
This was one of the movies that really surprised me. I had never heard of it, but I noticed a few of the actors in it and gave it a shot and damn, I was surprised at just how good it was. Really deserves more of an audience.
That’s the power of food, dude. You can be the geekiest person in the world, but you can wrap women around your finger if you can cook for them (and cook well). I’m not joking! 😂 I guarantee you can get laid if you master a few dishes, but you will need to learn how to really cook if you want to sustain a long term relationship. If you’re already married or in a LTR, cooking for your mate will deepen and/or reinvigorate your relationship. Food is love made tangible.
A pretty good movie for you and your dad to react would be Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman. It's about a Chinese chef trying to deal with his daughters. Its a pretty good movie that shows both the cooking and drama in interesting ways and i think Chef was inspired by this movie Otherwise, good reaction❤
Chef is quite possibly my favorite movie. I have only one criticism: the movie could have ended when the whole family is working in the food truck. Carl and his ex share an intimate moment, people smile knowingly then resume serving people the food they love. The end. Everything after with the critic from the beginning apologizing and giving Carl a new restaurant and him and his ex remarrying feels a little too good and has a “then everybody clapped” sort of feel. It’s still a great film I just feel like they didn’t have to go full on “mega happy ending” at the finish.
Yeah i like that too, sort of a "where do we go from here?" rather than a full wrap-up. More realistic. A bit like the Good Will Hunting ending. It doesn't necessarily matter what the ultimate outcome of character growth is, because the point is that character growth happened.
I agree, but . . . . . It was the dessert. Some people really like to finish their meal with dessert. For many of those some people, dessert after a special meal is a requirement. Favreau created this meal of a movie for a wider audience than you or me.
Love this movie, started my interest in food and I have begun learning more about cooking and stepping out of my comfort zone regarding food it has been a lot of fun
Orange County? You’ve got the best Vietnamese food outside of Vietnam proper. If you spend any time in L.A., go to Monterrey Park for the Chinese food rather than Chinatown (although I’m sure there’s no shortage of Chinese restaurants where you live). Incidentally, I’ve had the best fish tacos on the side of PCH, between Laguna and Salt Creek. I don’t know if they are still there, but it was a shack. And they were doing amazing stuff with the fish. It was more than Baja style fried fish or Sinaloa mariscos. I remember one taco was seared tuna, raw like sushi inside, almost black on the outside. It melted in your mouth. It was on the east side of PCH. Maybe they’re still there.
Jon Favreau also wrote this movie. I really enjoyed the Chef Show on Netflix that he did as a follow-up. I would love to see George and Simone react to Swingers, which Favreau also wrote and starred in. It’s a great little picture of single life in the 90s.
I absolutely adore this movie! The soundtrack includes a song by the name of Lucky Man by Courtney John and since seeing this movie for the first time, that has become my go-to cooking song.
