Le Chef
Short description
Alexandre Lagarde is a celebrated French chef whose restaurant holds the highest rating, but the financial group that owns his establishments wants to take it in a different direction. Its new chief executive, Stanislas Matter, pushes for a younger approach built around molecular gastronomy, and Lagarde's position depends on keeping the recognition he has earned. Meanwhile, Jacky Bonnot, a talented thirty-two-year-old passionate about fine cooking, has spent years taking kitchen jobs far below his ambitions because he needs the money. The two men meet, and the older chef brings the younger one into his kitchen, where their very different ideas about food collide even as they work together.
The film is a comedy directed by Daniel Cohen, who wrote the screenplay with Olivier Dazat. Jean Reno plays Lagarde and Michaël Youn plays Bonnot, with Raphaëlle Agogué, Julien Boisselier, Salomé Stévenin and Serge Larivière in supporting roles. It was produced in Belgium, Spain and France by Gaumont, TF1 Films Production, uMedia and Backup Media, on a budget of around 10 million dollars, and it took roughly 9 million dollars worldwide, so it did not recover its cost in cinemas.
On IMDb it holds 6.6 out of 10 from about 19,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.2 out of 10 from a much smaller number of votes. A film critics' rating of 5.5 out of 10 from 34 reviews places it slightly below what general audiences gave it.
What's left behind the scenes
- While preparing to film, director Daniel Cohen met with renowned French chefs such as Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse, and Pierre Gagnaire. Working as consultants, they provided a wealth of valuable advice to achieve maximum authenticity for the film.
- Two days after attending his daughter's birthday, Mikael Yun had to film a scene with exactly the same content. This made him the subject of teasing and laughter from the film crew.
- As preparation for filming, Mikael Yun took cooking lessons from the famous French chef Alain Ducasse. The actor spent a week at his culinary school to learn the techniques used and a number of standard procedures in the profession.
- "The Chef" marks Jean Reno's sixteenth acting role in projects produced by Gaumont. Their long-standing collaboration began in 1983 with the film "The Last Battle."
- In all the "culinary" scenes, the young people bustling around the kitchen alongside Jean Reno and Mikael Yun were real chefs. The director felt it was easier to invite chefs who knew the specifics of the job than to teach actors their mannerisms and movements.
- Scenes for the luxurious Molecular restaurant, where the characters of Jean Reno and Mikael Youn appear, were filmed in the basement of the Institute of the Arab World in Paris. All the external décor, furniture, and props there were the work of production designer Hugh Tissandier.
- To maintain a working atmosphere, energy, and enthusiasm among the actors, director Daniel Cohen often required them to work on Saturdays. These days were usually dedicated to rehearsing scenes that had not yet been filmed.
- Director Daniel Cohen cast Raphaël Agogué in the role of Jackie's wife, deeply impressed by her emotional and vibrant performance in the film 'The Raid' (2010).
- The film's producers and director Daniel Cohen were adamant about having Jean Reno in the lead role. As the actor was engaged in other projects, they decided to wait until he became available and could accept the offer, which he immediately liked.
- Filming lasted for 8 weeks, from May to July 2011, in Paris and its surrounding areas.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
