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"Burnt" Has No Flavor

The kitchen has become a popular place for movies these days. Just last year, we had "Chef," which was set between a kitchen and a food truck, and "The Hundred-Foot Journey," a kitchen culture clash.

Those films were lighthearted outings, which allowed us to be distracted by all of the glorious shots of the food that the characters were preparing. The new kitchen-set excursion, "Burnt", is a self-serious and sometimes off-putting film. "Burnt" wears an invisible cloak, trying to disguise itself as a prestige picture - especially under the Weinstein Company banner - but it is never anything audiences can really become emotionally involved in.

That's the primary failing of "Burnt."  The screenplay by Stephen Knight (who wrote the script for "The Hundred-Foot Journey") tries so hard to wring pathos out of his screenplay that each story beat feels false and forced. He has written a lead character that is wholly unlikable and expects us to root for him. It's a tough task as an audience member.

It's a shame because we want to root for Bradley Cooper, the actor, not the character he is playing. Cooper has ascended to a high spot on the Hollywood A-list and has become a versatile actor in the process. He has demonstrated his acting bona fides with three consecutive Oscar nominations ("Silver Linings Playbook", "American Hustle", "American Sniper") His performance in "Silver Linings Playbook" remains one of the best performances in recent years.

In "Burnt," Cooper plays Adam Jones. As the film opens, he is reflecting on the early part of his career as a chef. He rose to chef stardom in Paris, under his mentor, but all of his fame and talent went to waste when he got caught up in drugs, sex and overall self-destruction. Adam has cleaned himself up, swearing off drugs and promiscuous encounters with woman, and he's ready to regain the respect of the culinary community. It's too bad that sobering up didn't come with a much needed attitude adjustment.

He heads to London to regain his status. His personal goal is to earn the coveted third Michelin star (similarly explored in "The Hundred-Foot Journey".) He reconnects with an old friend, Tony (Daniel Brühl), who runs a hotel that is owned by his father. Adam opens a restaurant in Tony's hotel and begins his pursuit for that third star.

On his kitchen staff is Helene (Sienna Miller, Cooper's "American Sniper" co-star). She is a talented sous chef, who is often subjected to Adam's constant berating and profanity-laced tantrums. She joins the rest of the kitchen staff in their Army-like chants of "yes chef!" whenever Adam barks an order. What makes Helen different is that she isn't afraid to put Adam in his place.

Director John Wells has a way of getting big performances out of his actors. He last directed "August: Osage County", which found Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts sparring together at the top of their lungs. In "Burnt," Adam is often set off by the smallest imperfection, which causes him to swear and throw plates (kind of like "August: Osage County.") It's a big, loud piece of grandstanding from a fine actor.

Cooper is doing what the screenplay has asked of him. It's not that Cooper's performance is bad, he actually appears quite committed to this role, it's that the character is thinly drawn. There's little shading to Adam, a one-note arrogant guy, which makes his quest for redemption that much harder to get behind.

It's nice to see Miller get a bigger role and some of the patter between her and Cooper works. She was given two barely-written wife roles last year (the aforementioned "American Sniper" and "Foxcatcher") and was recently cut out of "Black Mass". Miller is a fine actress and presence on screen and deserves bigger parts. A lot of the times she is the highlight of "Burnt."

The supporting cast is filled with familiar faces that aren't given much to do. Emma Thompson shows up as a therapist, who has been tasked with checking Adam's blood for drugs of any kind. I'm not sure why Thompson, a wonderful actress, has been given such small parts this year ("A Walk in the Woods") but it must stop. Uma Thurman is a food critic from Adam's past and adds nothing to the story.

"Burnt" captures a picturesque London and features the obligatory montages of mouthwatering food that will make you hungry. But there isn't much to get behind in "Burnt," which often feels like warmed-up leftovers.