Trivia / Chef (2014)

• Doing It for the Art: This film was made because Jon Favreau was feeling overwhelmed by working on blockbuster films and dealing with Executive Meddling. He wanted to go back to his lower-budget roots where he could tell a story at his own leisure. The various big name actors in this film made appearances because they agreed with him.
• Fake Nationality: Carl's Cuban ex-wife Inez is played by the Colombian-American Sofía Vergara.
• Production Posse: Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson are part of the cast of the film from Favreau's work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Reality Subtext: The film is loaded with it.
  • Carl is very much Jon Favreau as a chef: someone who worked hard to cultivate a creative reputation but finds himself stifled and his family life crumbling once he achieves mainstream success. He's able to rediscover his purpose and repair his relationships by throwing caution to the wind and going back to basics, with only himself to answer to.
  • Riva is the "Marvel Creative Committee" that made Favreau's life as a director difficult, forcing him to make compromises and make financially safe choices when he wants to experiment and take chances. Like with Carl's food at the beginning of the film, Iron Man 2 is clearly well made and polished but there are clear hints that the creator is capable of making something much more daring but was prevented from doing so.
  • Martin represents the cast and crew who continue to work with Jon Favreau even though he's no longer working on major blockbusters. For Martin, it's not about the money but being able to work on a passion project with someone he admires.
  • Tony represents the next generation of creatives who are entering mainstream consciousness (perhaps representing Shane Black). It's only when people like Carl step aside that others get a chance in the spotlight. Whether or not Tony will be satisfied with mainstream fare that is guaranteed to sell is yet to be seen.

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