Movie Review: Haute Cuisine

After some searching for quite some time, I came across Haute Cuisine in English subs. I was very happy because I had been looking for this movie since the trailer was released. I wanted to see a foreign film involving food of a culture I'm not too familiar with. The results were ... disappointing. It wasn't exactly what I expected and it is partially due to the fact that the version of the movie I watched had incomplete English subs. What happens is that at several times during the movie, there are no subtitles for the spoken French and I am left wondering what the hell is going on. Sometimes they don't bother translating certain things. Still there were some things that was unsatisfying.
The story is about Hortense Laborie who becomes the French president's personal chef. Hortense feels troubled because she feels that she is not fit for the job, but the president insists that she is the one. With the support of Nicholas, her assistant in the kitchen, and the president himself, Hortense has to deal with stinging rivalries with the kitchen staff and pressure from the palace. It is a comedy and drama rolled into one with lots of food shots.

I would say its comedy is better than the drama. I know that the point of the story is that a woman from a seemingly mundane life actually was a royal cook, but I wasn't taken in by the drama. It just seemed boring to me. Almost bland when it could have been more flavorful. The various food shots were the charm points of the movie, but I think they could have taken that idea even further. Haute cuisine is something that is meticulously done and I feel like it was shown very quickly in the movie.

Overall it was an enjoyable movie to watch. Hortense is a humble woman, but she is strong when she needs to. When she is down, she has the president to praise her and lift her spirits. While the kitchen staff mock her behind her back, Hortense puts up with it and even yells at one of the head chefs for his behavior. Her assistant, Nicholas, may have been overlooked by the kitchen staff when in fact he is much more talented than the rest of them. He is hardworking and willing to experiment as you can see in the cornbread episode where he continuously changes the recipe. I think probably one of the important scenes of the story was when Hortense argues with the president's dieticians. She has a vision of what she wants to make, but is obstructed by the many limits she is imposed with in terms of health and costs to make it. It's like how many chefs want to maintain a certain style for their restaurant, but can't due to costly ingredients and lack of customers. Then occasionally you have that one customer, like the president, who understands a lot about the craft and how to appreciate it.

Viewers who have watched Haute Cuisine suggested similar titles like Julie and Julia, Babette's Feast, Ratatouille (so fun to watch), and Eat Drink Man Woman (this one is great!).