You know how it is by now. We get so excited every time an Outposter shares an article with us, that Boba Phil’s nipples start tingling. All three of them. Today Outposter G-man, a long-time lurker and actual chef, shares with us his view of Burnt. The Bradley Cooper-led chef drama where his performance was influenced by real-life chefs Gordon Ramsay, Marcus Wareing, Mario Batali, and Marco Pierre White. SO what does somebody with insider knowledge of the kitchen really think…
G-man here. In the past Chef Gregg. I saw the movie Burnt, with Bradley Cooper, and I wanted to share my views with you all.
I love Bradley Cooper. I’m not in love like Daniel Bruhl’s character in Burnt is, but Mr. Cooper can do no wrong in my book. From Face in The A-Team, to Rocket Racoon, to a Chef with a destructive streak a mile wide, Bradley always delivers. Yes, Adam’s destructive streak is a mile wide, but his creative streak is at least two miles wider, maybe more.
He knows he has a long road back to getting that third Michelin star that chefs strive for. First, he has to get the band back together in London, while adding some new talent in the form of Sienna Miller, a talented Saucier. There is a line about his kitchen being like The Seven Samurai during his therapy sessions with his shrink, Emma Thompson. I love it when movies reference other movies.
Turns out a lot of his past comes back to haunt him in the form of drug dealers and just plain ol’ kharma.
With Gordon Ramsey and Mario Batalli attached to this movie, you know the food and the preparation of said food is going to be, as Ramsey would say “Spot On!” I’ve worked in fancy kitchens, and not-so-fancy kitchens, and both have the same unwritten code of conduct.
Camaraderie, fights breaking out among colleagues, having each other’s back no matter what. It is like a family and not just a job. Looking out for Michelin scouts is something everyone in the restaurant is made aware of and, when two come in during Burnt, the tension and effort is ratcheted up a few degrees.
At the height of anticipation, well, we all know kharma is a bitch! Adam misses the mark as his past comes back to haunt him and he falls hard. Think Dennis Hopper in Hoosiers. When you are down though, that can be when you realize that needing others doesn’t make you weak, it makes you stronger.
Adam goes to his chef rival by blind instinct, and that rival ends up telling him some home truths:
“We need you Adam. You’re better than we are, and we need to keep chasing you because you take us to places we would never go otherwise.”
All is not as it seems, and eventually, the kitchen gets another chance at the three stars, and when Bruhl’s character comes back and tells Adam that Michelin are at table 9, I cheered when Adam replies:
“We do what we do. TOGETHER!”
This is a nice look inside a restaurant and it’s operations that might open some eyes. At least it’s entertaining, and please, while you are watching this movie, eat something tasty okay?
