Patrick Wiggins
Feature Editor
Ever wanted to know what the pressures from working in a top kitchen might be like? Well, "Burnt" does a nice job of bringing that to the big screen with the help of performances from Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Sienna Miller (American Sniper) and Daniel Bruhl (Rush).
Cooper plays Adam Jones, a chef who is attempting to leave mistakes in the past and catch that elusive third star in the Michelin Guide. He works with Tony, played by Bruhl, a maître d' who has worked with Jones before and agrees to come back to work with him again and take charge of the front of the house, or where all the guests sit and eat their food.
Jones then needs to recruit others to help him in the kitchen, and one of those is Helene, played by Miller. Helene is at first reluctant to work for Jones, but that ends when her current boss (who happens to be friends with Jones) fires her, basically forcing her to.
Thanks to the writing and performances, it is quite easy to feel for the characters, especially when things don’t go their way after they have worked so hard. Cooper’s performance especially is so great. He has successfully broken out of the typecasting that I thought would happen after his role in “The Hangover.”
Overall, I would recommend seeing “Burnt.” I never felt bored and the story seemed natural and the characters felt real. Go see it. If anything, it’ll make you feel like getting a big expensive meal afterwards.