High-Intensity Cooking

Burnt takes the love of good food to the extreme

Thanks to reality television and the rise of personalities like Gordon Ramsay and Anthony Bourdain, the idea of the rampaging, egomaniacal chef is now pervasive in pop culture. Perhaps piggybacking on that concept is the new movie Burnt, which follows one similar chef in all his badness.

Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) is the type of chef people love to hate and hate to admit they love. Having worn out his welcome in multiple cities, Jones attempts one last comeback in London, taking over the restaurant in the hotel of longtime friend Tony (Daniel Bruhl).

Jones recruits a dream team, including a former foe, Michel (Omar Sy), and an up-and-coming sous chef, Helene (Sienna Miller), to join him in his quest to finally earn a third star in the venerated Michelin Guide. To add some spice to the story, he also maintains a not-so-healthy rivalry with another acclaimed chef, Reece (Matthew Rhys).

Director John Wells and writer Steven Knight walk the tightrope in how they portray Jones. Although antiheroes are not uncommon in recent years, there has to be some shred of likability in Jones for us to want him to succeed. The casting of Cooper is key to this, as he can put a foot on both extremes of the emotional spectrum and not come off as false in either one.

What the story does well is sell its various relationships. Tony and Adam have a mostly unspoken bond that colors many of the decisions each makes. Michel has good reason to hate Adam, but the pull of working for a great restaurant seemingly outweighs that. And Helene’s talent allows the character to rise above the level of necessary love interest.

Where the film falls off, though, is in the overarching story of Jones’ quest. For the sake of expediency, Jones going from the bottom to the top is simplified almost to the extreme. There are the usual ups and downs along the way, but Wells and Knight stick to the tried-and-true formula of similar stories. The filmmakers feint in other directions occasionally, but never seem to have the courage to stick with the unexpected.

Also, although it’s good that the film never turns into food porn, it’s slightly disappointing that the food isn’t highlighted more. There is plenty of focus on cooking techniques and food presentation, but they rarely explicitly say what food is being shown, leaving the audience to just guess as to what tasty morsel is being dished out.

Foodies and acting aficionados alike might be able to appreciate the talent on display in Burnt, even if the film as a whole fails to truly satisfy.

Bradley Cooper in Burnt.

Bradley Cooper in Burnt

Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company

Bradley Cooper in Burnt.

Movie Review

Supergirl loses the sense of fun that Superman brought to DC Comics films

Milly Alcock in Supergirl

Photo courtesy of DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures

Milly Alcock in Supergirl.

The new Superman in 2025 brought with a renewed sense of optimism for, if not the concept of the comic book movie, then at least the DC Comics universe. After more than a decade of DC films that felt mostly creatively bankrupt, the leadership of James Gunn gave the story a sense of fun. That included the brief introduction of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who’s now getting her own showcase in, naturally, Supergirl.

When we first met her in Superman, Supergirl was in rough shape, arriving at the Fortress of Solitude visibly inebriated. Nothing has changed at the beginning of this film, save for her aimlessly traveling around the universe with her rambunctious dog, Krypto. One of her random stops puts her in the same bar as Ruthye (Eve Ridley), who is looking for help tracking down Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts) and a group known as the Brigands after they brutally murdered her family.

Kara is initially loath to offer aid, but when Krem shoots a poison dart into Krypto while escaping, her motivation goes way up, especially since Krem holds the antidote. Kara, with Ruthye doggedly following her, uses every means available to her to find Krem, a journey that is hampered by galaxies having different colored suns than the one that gives her powers, the yellow sun.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and written by Ana Nogueira, the film is a big step back in the fun category, not least because Supergirl is deep in her feelings for much of the film. Her personal trauma, which is detailed in occasional flashbacks, gives a reason for her depression, but fails to land fully. The story seems to want everyone to be sad, as it includes a child trafficking ring and multiple instances of families being murdered.

Milly Alcock and Krypto in Supergirl.Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

To try to counteract that downer material, the filmmakers give Supergirl many opportunities to show off her fighting skills. While still CGI-heavy, the action scenes contain enough of a semblance of reality that they feel exciting. Unfortunately, this is undercut by the inclusion of several slow-motion sequences, giving the impression that the filmmakers didn’t trust the actors to deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

Superman (David Corenswet) makes a handful of appearances in the film, and while his presence is welcome given how well the character came across in the previous movie, it also doesn’t allow Supergirl to become her own person. Almost everything she does is colored by either her cousin or her parents, and since her powers are identical to those of Superman, there is very little that makes her story unique aside from how she’s dealing with the fallout.

Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) gives an appealing performance despite her character being drunk and/or moody most of the time. She definitely sells what Supergirl is going through, so if given a better story in a future film, she’s proven her capability. Schoenaerts makes for a pretty good villain, although he’s aided by a look that includes a face full of studs. Jason Momoa has a memorable supporting role as the bounty hunter Lobo, even if his character doesn’t add much to the story.

While not a full-on disaster, Supergirl does not continue the momentum that Superman started. With a story that’s more concerned with showing audiences death scenes than a hero saving people, the film doesn’t seem to understand the appeal of a character like Supergirl or how to make her someone audiences will return to over and over again.

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Supergirl is now playing in theaters.

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