Dish of the Day

Jon Favreau's film Chef is a simple joy - confirming that less is usually more effective and that it is okay to make a film that leaves the audience smiling, laughing and tapping its feet. However, arguably, Chef is deeper than first glance suggests. It touches on very modern themes of the power of social media (constructive and destructive) and the impact that glib online criticism (positive and negative) can have on real lives, and it's to Favreau's great credit that he does not gloss over these things. The film's use of Tw***er is ingenious and effective, if somewhat similar to at least one previous treatment of texting (the BBC's extraordinary Sherlock), but it is not a throw-away gimmick, rather an important part of the story, showing that - like a loaded gun - social media's power derives from the will of the user.

Chef has a highly likeable cast in great form. Dustin Hoffman, Scarlett Johansson and Fav's Iron Man mucker Robert Downey Jr. provide very effective cameos. RDJ is his quirky self, and Johansson is at her most charming, while Hoffman's superbly forceful turn ensures that it's not all sweetness and light, as do chef's scenes with Oliver Platt's restaurant critic. Sofia Vergara, Bobby Cannavale and the excellent John Leguizamo provide enthusiastic and likeable support, but it is Favreau and Emjay Anthony's delightful central relationship that is the beating heart of the film, their scenes are so wonderfully natural that you can only root for them both.

The film features something of a flying foodie travelogue through the southern states, but it is much more than that. Favreau's direction feels light and empathetic, a man confident in knowing exactly what he wanted, and Chef is clearly a film made with great care and affection. The soundtrack is superb, infusing the film with a rhythm that makes it difficult not to be swept along, but why would anyone not want to be carried away by Favreau's wonderful film, which tells us it is okay to take pleasure in what we do, feel the rhythm and love life.

The Sweet Smell of Success

There's a whiff of quixotic alchemy about Tom Tykwer's 'Perfume: The Story of a Murderer' that is personified in an excellent central performance by Ben Wishaw, and it's a theme that runs through this innovative and captivating story from the novel by Patrick Süskind, as we are introduced to a wonderfully drawn cast of characters, but it is the protagonist's deranged genius that holds the film together, bringing the viewer, quite literally, an original sense of perspective.

Arrayed around our anti-hero is a series of excellent turns from the likes of Dustin Hoffman as the mentoring perfumier; Alan Rickman as a concerned father; and David Calder as the Bishop of Grasse. Apart from Hoffman's role, and the comforting tones of John Hurt as the narrator, most of the supporting parts are brief, little more than vignettes in most cases, but they are always full of character and opportunity for expression which is seized by the players, and the accomplished script conveys so much through its looks and touches and expressions that the viewer forgets that the focus of the piece is a sense that is not available for them to experience.

Despite the eroticism evident in many scenes, and the presence of a bevy of beautiful young women who fall victim to the protagonist’s ministrations, the film never lapses into salaciousness, anchored in the Grenouille’s profound belief that he serves a higher purpose, portrayed with such depth by the stand-out Wishaw. Such are Grenouille’s powers of seduction, that those portraying his victims are, by and large, given more to do than simply cowering and screaming, and Rachel Hurd-Wood in particular is both intriguing and enchanting as Laura.

At every turn ‘Perfume...’ is surprising and rewarding, the perfect antidote to the usual dumb-and-dumber multiplex fodder, and it should be affirming to everyone’s love of cinema that gems like this are still possible in the face of rampant commercialism. It should not be forgotten that the film has a ‘15’ certificate, and BBFC Insight tells us that the film ‘Contains sexualised nudity and disturbing image.’ but as long as this is remembered, ‘Perfume’ is a must-see.