Rating of
2/4
Undercooked
Unknown - wrote on 11/01/15
'Burnt' offers less than hoped for, in terms of story and character. It's all centered on one man's redemption from his past addictions and general asshole nature to those who helped him to previous success. We start off with him now sober and reconnecting to those people he had wronged in order to regain former glory in the kitchen. We get some clunky dialogue scenes that repeat the same effect: "I hate you for that thing you did to me, but I'll help you now cause I still like you." Everyone just can't stop liking this guy who did terrible things to his colleagues. That's the main issue right off the top. I didn't understand why these people would let him back so easily and it's hard to find what exactly makes him appealing other than his cooking talents. I couldn't get behind Jone's ambitions due to those facts. This makes the cliche nature of the rest of the narrative feel more routine. The acting, direction, and music composition are all trying to elevate the material. I was almost willing to go above average because of them, but this particular story wasn't worth saving. A few individual great moments standout above the mediocrity. The food looks quite delicious. Though, that's expected in a movie such as this.
