Food porn, no matter how expertly and attractively presented, is no substitute for actual food. But if you are susceptible to the blandishments of food porn, “Burnt,” a new Bradley-Cooper-starring drama about a brilliant-but-troubled chef looking for a shot at redemption, might leave you hungry for a meal you’ll possibly be hard-pressed to afford. Money-wise, and maybe existentially.
Heavy on beautifully-lit tight shots of blue burner flames, immaculate china plates, various foams, glazes, char marks, roots, zests, and all other manner of mouth-watering visuals for discriminating gourmands (the consultant on kitchen matters was pioneering chef Mario Batali, a bonafide kitchen genius), “Burnt” concentrates on the fashionable high-end of gastronomy. Cooper’s character, Adam Jones recounts in voice-over that he’s been doing penance for unspecified sins by shucking oysters in New Orleans … and, once he’s gotten to one million, boom, suddenly he’s in London, making snide comments to hotel restaurant maître d' Daniel Brühl about the mediocre quality of his fare. Adam isn’t just in-person trolling fancy joints in this big, you’ll excuse the word, foodie town. No, Brühl’s Tony shares a past with Adam. Although London’s a big town, the fact that Adam can’t turn a corner without running into someone from his past makes the place seem like one of the backstage areas depicted in the recent Steve Jobs movie. Why, here’s Omar Sy’s Michel, who Adam pranked most heinously in Paris back in the day. And here’s Uma Thurman’s Simone, a restaurant critic Adam once dallied with against her better judgment, not just because Adam’s a bad egg, but because Simone herself is a lesbian (that’s JUST how much of a bad egg Adam really is). Adam also meets, and alienates, a few newbies: Sam Keeley’s eager young chef cadet David, upon whose couch Adam imposes, and single-mom sous-chef Helene, who is a single-mom sous-chef played by Sienna Miller, so take a wild guess.
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