Chef
Chef is so close to being something special, the assembled cast has some heavy hitters and some severely under appreciated talent with a story that's light and heart warming, the only thing missing for me here is the bite; the reason to keep watching, the adversity to overcome.
Chef is a pretty smooth ride about a chef who's entire reason for living is his craft, he lives to cook, and cooks to live. Along the way he loses sight of what really matters, his passion for creativity, his love life and his son (which is fairly cliché but fine). The issue I have is the only hurdle he has to overcome is quitting his job, his ex wife sets him on a path for a return to success, his buddy from the kitchen joins the food truck, his son joins the food truck and then it's just smooth sailing and good times to the finish line. At the end of the movie his adversary from the beginning just becomes a friend without a fuss, let bygones be bygones and go into business together. It's a little too clean, and a little too happy.
That being said I still enjoyed the movie and it's worth adding to a regular rotation, anytime you feel down, you can throw this movie on as a digital hug. Again the performances from each cast member are great, aside from the son who's just alright, and I'd definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a light hearted feel good story.