The Chef (Le Chef) (2012)

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Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	French Dolby Digital 5.1
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English (Burned In)	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	Yes

     The French film industry certainly knows how to make a light, amusing film which leaves you with a smile on your face. One such film is The Chef or Comme un Chef starring Jean Reno. This is a 2012 production written and directed by Daniel Cohen, who is certainly new to me. This film is not hysterically funny but rather relies upon the heart-warming nature of its story and characters to carry it.

     The film centres on two characters. The first is Alexandre Lagarde (Jean Reno), a famous chef who runs a long term three Michelin star restaurant, Cargo Lagarde. The second character is Jacky Bonnot (Michael Youn), an aspiring young chef who idolises Lagarde but gets fired constantly due to his perfectionism. Lagarde is battling the CEO of the restaurant group which owns his restaurant, Stanislas Matter (Julien Bosselier). Matter has recently taken over the company from his retired father and wants to replace the more traditional Lagarde with a molecular gastronomy chef. Lagarde is also suffering from a lack of inspiration in his menu and is threatened with losing a star from his rating. If this occurs, his contract allows him to be replaced as the head chef at Cargo Lagarde. Can Jacky & Alexandre meet, get along with each other and jointly save the restaurant and Jacky's engagement?

     This is a nice-minded, gentle comedy with a couple of characters that you enjoy spending eighty minutes with. Reno and Youn play well against each other and although there are no huge laughs to be had, the gentle tone and human story draws you in. There is one scene which feels like it came for a different broader comedy where Alexandre & Jacky dress up as Japanese dignitaries and go to a rival restaurant to gather intelligence. This film does a great job (in a gentle way) of sending up the silliness of molecular gastronomy and celebrity chefs in general.

     I enjoyed this film and would recommend it for an evening when you feel like something which won't challenge you but will provide entertainment that puts a smile on your face.

Video

     The video quality is excellent for DVD.

     The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was very sharp and clear for DVD. Shadow detail was very good.

     The colour is excellent showing off the Paris locations and bright restaurant lighting.

     There was some mild motion blur during motion but certainly no more than you should expect on DVD.

     There are burnt-in subtitles in English which are clear and easy to read.

     There is no layer change.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is very good, perfectly suited to the material.

     This disc contains a French soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1. Generally, the soundtrack was quite front focused.

     Dialogue seemed easy to understand.

     The music by Nicola Piovani is a highlight of the film, being jazzy orchestral works that reminded me of a lighter version of Shostakovich's Jazz Suite (which featured in the end credits for Eyes Wide Shut).

     The surround speakers were used for some mild effects and for the music and the subwoofer supported the music.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

    The menu featured music and voices.

    There is a Region 2 version of this film but I cannot find any details of its contents. There is also a Region B Blu-ray version.

    The video quality is excellent for DVD.

    The audio quality is very good.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall