Burnt

White walls, white uniforms, colorful plates. In this business drama, Adam Jones is a chef seeking redemption, both personal and in the business. He was once one of the greatest chefs in Paris, until he fell into drunkenness, drugs, and promiscuity. But now, as the story begins, he has achieved admirable self-control and is determined to get that fame and fortune back. But, to do so, he must outdo both good and bad competitors, and also learn the difference between mistreating his crew and teaching them discipline.

If I were to compare this film to food, it would be like underdone meat with way too much salt, or maybe a neatly decorated cake with no sugar. The casting is excellent. Bradley Cooper’s star performance is perfect; Sienna Miller is vulnerable but tough, as is Daniel Brühl, who, in a restaurant, brings back fond memories from “Inglourious Basterds.” Matthew Rhys has the looks and personality for his character, and the supporting cast is filled in like candies on a cupcake by Alicia Vikander, Omar Sy, and Uma Thurman (thankfully, Thurman is too sophisticated to bring back nightmares from “Kill Bill”). Beyond that and the spectacular music, I was unimpressed. It kept my interest well enough, but the plot and script didn’t really deliver anything extraordinary. “Flavorless” is a very fitting pun to describe it.

Morally, there is one thing I was VERY pleased about. Adam Jones’s life of immorality is not only portrayed negatively, but we don’t see a glimpse of it. The film starts after it’s over, and there is not so much as a flashback to anything inappropriate. It’s only mentioned by the characters, and it’s not described in detail, either. In this area, the film succeeded where many films fail.

That said, there are a few non-explicit, but crude, sexual comments made throughout the film. Also, on a negative note, it is passively mentioned that one of the main characters has gay feelings for Adam. At one point, when he tells Adam exciting news, Adam kisses him, but not out of gay feelings (he then enters a relationship with a female cook). This is a rather small detail, but worth cautioning viewers about.

Remember when I said the film had too way much salt? Yeah, that refers to the salty language. I counted 56 f-words. There was little besides that—7 misuses of Jesus, one of God, Hell (5), s-words (7), a** (2), b**tard (1), and pr*ck (1). This is yet another one of those films that would have been rated PG were it not for the language. It always makes me sad to see that. When Adam Jones was overcoming his addictions to drugs, alcohol, and sex, it’s too bad he didn’t clean up his mouth. He may be the best cook in Paris, but Matthew 15:11 says,

“Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man.”

At the end of the day, I feel like most of this film’s potential was wasted. Not all of it, but most of it. The positive side isn’t extremely wonderful, and the negative side isn’t extremely horrible. I don’t recommend it, because the positive isn’t worth the negative. If I had to sum the film up in one word, it would be “bland.”

Violence: Mild to moderate / Profanity: Heavy to extreme / Sex/Nudity: Moderate

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.