In a nutshell: a divorced LA chef quits his job in a restaurant and starts a food truck, all the while teaching his young son some lessons along the way. The kid also teaches his dad a thing or two.
Now, if you're think you'll like a movie with LOTS of cooking and eating, go see this movie. I was very glad I ate before the movie!
Favreau as the lead took me some getting used to. He's played an obnoxious guy in everything I've seen him in (Swingers, Four Christmases) and he plays a similar character in this, hot tempered and all. But when he made that grilled cheese sandwich for his son, I was charmed.
I was surprised to see some big name stars in the cast. Dustin Hoffman plays the restaurant boss. Scar-Jo (Scarlett Johansson) is in it, too as the restaurant host. The ex-wife is played by Sofia Veranga, who is good in her part. And I haven't seen John Leguizamo so good in a film since the mid '90s.
The father-son relationship is a big part of the movie. They have some some quality bonding time in a cross-country trek, as the truck makes stops in Miami, New Orleans, and Austin. The soundtrack is great, and moves the film along nicely.
Reflecting our modern day culture, there are many uses of social media in this movie, more than any film I've seen before. Many of the characters "Tweet", "text", "Facebook", and "YouTube", and even "Vine". At one point Favreau says to his tech-savvy young son "You're the head of our Marketing team!"
All the Tweeting done in the film is integral to the story, and the way it is presented on screen is unique and clever, and will likely be imitated by others in the future.
This movie is getting good word of mouth, and is now among the "Top 10" hits in the United States this weekend.
