Burnt (2015)
Very good movie about a once-great chef who basically sabotaged his own career and messed up a few lives along the way. Bradley Cooper plays the chef who is intent on making a comeback, but grates on everyone along the way with his temper and demand of excellence. You might not think a movie about a fallen chef mounting a comeback is material for a good movie, but it is. Cooper is excellent as the man who has to learn to fight his inner demons and to work with others instead of running it all. Of course there are roadblocks along the way, and even though his character acts like a jerk for most of the way, you end up rooting for him. Sienna Miller co-stars as a chef that Cooper hires to help him, but of course he soon treats her like garbage. Daniel Brühl is very good as the owner of the restaurant that Cooper sets up shop in. Emma Thompson has a somewhat small part as shrink that helps Cooper. Uma Thurman has a very small part as a restaurant critic. And the beautiful Alicia Vikander shows up as Cooper's ex-love. Don't be put off by my description of Cooper's character...like any good jerk, he learns the error of his ways. And don't watch this movie before dinner as you might end up going out to eat before you're even through with the movie.
Love the Coopers (2015)
I'd heard nothing but bad things about this movie, yet I found it to be pretty good. I stuck with it all the way and entertained. A star-studded cast fills this movie about a family getting together at Christmas, and of course dysfunction rules the season. This stars Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Alan Arkin, Amanda Seyfried, Olivia Wilde, Ed Helms, Marisa Tomei, and Anthony Mackie. Plus, the, ahem, voice of Steve Martin. It's pretty good dramatic stuff with comedy and romance thrown in, with Wilde co-star Jake Lacy doing fine together and Alan Arkin being his usual great self. Some people may find the last scene at a hospital fairly sappy and I'll cop to that, but the only scene that made me groan was the very last scene involving
the family dog. Wait through the credits if you're so inclined and see some short scenes from the middle of the movie that were cut out.