Im Rausch der Sterne

This gem of a movie came out in 2015. Quick cuts initially, focused on the story of the movie and not wasting the viewers time to set up the film. For people who like indie films with a setup and purpose this has been living in the shadows for a lot of people who enjoy films. I am biased towards films that have an indie feel to it and have great music playing in the background.

This film is a great watch for viewers who are interested in what goes behind in making fine dining food and showing it as an indie movie. Bradley cooper plays the part of "genius who threw it all away" very well. The "gifted but tormented" trope may have been used by a lot of film makers but a few have been able to justify it. And this film certainly does it with style. This redemption story comes with its set of subtle twists and turns. But it keeps the story centered on the heart of the film. Watch it if you like food, what goes on in making great food and people who strive for perfection in making that food.

Your enjoyment of this movie will depend on whether or not you buy into the 'chef as a rockstar' myth which is so popular these days. If you do, you will love this and find the tortured central character fascinating. If, like me, you don't feel the ability to make a decent steak and chips automatically entitles you to behave like an arsehole, well, you might struggle with the flimsy material.

Bradley Cooper is decent enough, although his conversion from narcissistic control freak who treats everyone like crap to all round nice guy who proclaims, there's no I in team, is unconvincing. The best thing in this film is Sienna Miller who gives another great performance; in fact, her character is much more interesting than Cooper's. Which is a slight problem. Burnt is hugely uneven, then, although always interesting when Miller is on screen. When she's not and instead we get yet another scene in which Cooper acts like a complete jerk, I found myself daydreaming about being chased by a giant hamburger who wanted to eat me!

Having worked in kitchens i found this incredibly realistic and everything in this film stays true to the life of so many chefs abusing substances and their passion controlling their lives. I'm not normally a fan of Bradley Cooper, however i was amazed to see his acting talents here and how true he was to a real chef. Definitely a game changer for his career after being unimpressed with him in hangover or wedding crashes.

If you have a passion for anything i think you'll like this film, it simply displays every aspect of what people go through when they're putting everything in their being into something, when it's all in, all or nothing, life and death.

9/10. A must see for all food lovers.

There are a lot of movies out there where the leader of a team, talented, strict and know-it-all, tries to discipline his group, in the background of a match or a contest of some sort. Music, sports, army, classes, even spelling contests and of course ...haute cuisine.

Common factor in all these movies: The leader ...yells a lot! And he is mean to his pupils. And he doesn't forgive the tinniest of mistakes. And he has enemies. Or rivals. And an old teacher who was mean to him like he is now mean to them. And there is a purpose. A trophy. And a love subject.

Pretty much this summarize Burnt too. So, the premise is not so original but in the end it's all about the execution and the fun and the interest.

Well, I think in this department 'Burnt' succeeds. The plot has some clever twists. The pace of the film is right and there are some great natural performances especially from the chameleon actress Sienna Miller and the always serious Daniel "Nikki Lauda" Brühl.

You wont get any cuisine lessons with this movie though. I know this is not the point, but other movies leave you with some knowledge and an increased interest about the special craft. What is that haute cuisine all about? We only get a glimpse of that. Something about 'Culinary Orgasms' but we never get to understand what this could actually be.

Overall: Not boring. Good Pace. Miller's and Brühl's performances are very good. Plus the movie itself is not ...fattening! (unless you eat a lot of popcorn!) So, What else do you need?

Movies like burnt are so frustrating to watch and in cases like this, the fault almost always lies with the director and / or meddling producers. I am not 100% sure, but I believe that this script was on the black list and even if it was not it probably was damn good to attract the acting talent to such a project. The acting was well done (no pun intended) and none of the actors mailed in their performance. So why does the sum equal less than the parts?

In my reviews, I like to rate movies based on promise and delivery. The trailer is the promise and the viewing experience is the delivery. And I always try to give films the benefit of the doubt. Rating a movie a 1 or a 10, is not helpful to your fellow users.

When you decide to spend your valuable time and money on burnt, you know you're not getting a big budget, special effects extravaganza or a gripping whodunit. You want the movie to show you the inner workings of a kitchen, the struggle and cut throat atmosphere of creating and maintaining a top rated restaurant and some relationship drama that feels possibe. Doesn't have to be good will hunting emotion, but enough to keep us invested. The story and character motivations should never be so illogical or vague as to distract the viewer.

Burnt is not a complete misfire. I enjoyed the scenes in the restaurant kitchen, they were beautiful shots. And most of the scenes themselves were well acted, Bradley seemed invested in the role. The role actors also did an adequate job. The major problem was there was no real tension. The stakes never seemed remotely high.

SMALL SPOILERS: Bradley's character had a vague back story about drug abuse and wanting redemption, but he never seemed to really struggle. He vanishes from the restaurant scene after burning out, and then, after some self penance, he is able to finagle his way into running a brand new restaurant and in no time at all wins a Michelin star? There is some tension with the debt he owes, but you never feel worried because he could always borrow the money from the super rich Maître d'. And in the end his gorgeous ex waltzes in and pays it off?

You can tell as you watch the movie that there are some plot points that were probably compelling in the screenplay, but unfortunately just got lost in translation. I read that when the movie was edited, an actor's entire role was edited out. Maybe that was why the movie seemed kind of disjointed. Every genre of movie has fatal flaws. In niche genres like this, you never want your movie to feel "like a day in the life". It's a movie, give us some stakes. Burnt felt like I got a behind the scenes peek at running a top restaurant. If I wanted that I could watch a 30 minute Food Network show.

Final verdict: Bradley Coopers fans would enjoy. Otherwise, wait till it comes out NetFlix and you're bored one rainy night.

This question probably makes more sense in the forum section, but I find it an interesting parallel. Another food movie came out around the same time called Chef. It was marketed more as a family drama / feel good, subtle comedy. The main character also finds semi redemption by falling back in love with cooking, by going back to the basics after burning out. He also reconnects with his young son. I had the same after taste watching that movie. Cool scenes involving food, but no real stakes or unexpected turns. That movie, however, got stellar reviews. Sometimes I just do not understand professional movie critics at all.