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Is there a worse recent example of a vanity project than Jon Favreau's Chef (2014)?

John Dunbar

John Dunbar

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Oct 25, 2017
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This movie was on TV couple days ago, and I started watching it since it seemed like some lighthearted fun and I had nothing better to do (in fact, I never do). Instead of some light entertainment, I was legit surprised by what I saw and I'm still thinking about it.

I only watched like 30 minutes before I just had to stop, but during that time at least the following happened:

1. Jon Favreau of course plays the lead role: a brilliant chef whose genius is universally recognised. Everyone sucks up to him. And he also has a ton of fake tattoos because Favreau decided his cool as fuck chef needs a sleeve.
2. His ex-wife is Sofia Vergara, because of course she is.
3. Scarlett Johansson works at his restaurant and simply can't contain her lust for him. There is a pre-coital scene where she gazes at him in awe while he cooks her some disgusting looking spaghetti.

Favreau then got a bad review which is sure to trigger some more genius from him. I stopped watching during an awful scene where his son explains Twitter to him because I couldn't take it anymore. I actually admire the audacity of making this movie, but goddamn it was unwatchable.

Any other terrible examples of recent vanity projects?
 

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Oct 28, 2017
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i really liked the movie. And don't forget that he was being a shitty boomer dad with a temper that got him fired.

Also, he made a delicious looking grilled cheese

 
Aurongel

Aurongel

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One Million Ways to Die in the West.

Seth McFarlane really, really wanted to make out with Charlize Theron so he made a bad movie justifying it. I can think of literally no better example.
 
smug chocobo

smug chocobo

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Aug 30, 2018
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It's even more terrible because he spun this godawful fap trash movie into a Netflix original series©
 
Slayven

Slayven

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Oct 25, 2017
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Aurongel said:
One Million Ways to Die in the West.

Seth McFarlane really, really wanted to make out with Charlize Theron so he made a bad movie justifying it. I can think of literally no better example.
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Not a movie but Orville is an obvious vanity project, that kinda of works despite him
 

Deleted member 43

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Oct 24, 2017
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Umm, I feel like you missed out on the fact that the main character was clearly a deeply flawed individual.
 
Kernel

Kernel

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Oct 25, 2017
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How can you say this when Battlefield Earth exists?

Now that's a shitty vanity project.
 
Squarehard

Squarehard

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Oct 27, 2017
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Maybe you just have bad taste in movies, and prefer all movies to be marred in misery and reality.
 
Lord Vatek

Lord Vatek

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Jan 18, 2018
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I don't know if it's bad but Death Stranding is probably the most blatantly obvious vanity project I've ever seen.
 
Donald Draper

Donald Draper

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Feb 2, 2019
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It is a vanity project but it's a good film. I mean the film is literally about his career as a director.

Far and away better than his mainstream work. I wish he would keep making smaller films.
 
Reizzz

Reizzz

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Jun 19, 2019
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not to pre-judge but Doolittle looks really bad, I heard that RDJ has pushed for it for a while
 
demondance

demondance

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Oct 27, 2017
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I thought it was a pleasant, simple movie that seemed like he needed to make after doing big studio projects. Not essential or anything. Can't imagine getting mad about it.

I get the impression that Favreau is one of those guys who can't stop working, so he does stuff like this, his roundtable talk show, and now the Chef series to find a way to do hobbyist things and hang out with interesting people while "working." And I like it the best of his work. Good stuff to decompress with.
 
Joelington

Joelington

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Sep 13, 2019
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I can see where you're coming from OP, but Chef is a damn good movie.
Seth McFarlane is the king of shitty vanity projects.
 
shtolky

shtolky

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Oct 27, 2017
640
Chef was really good, and that spaghetti he made for Scarlett looked amazing. Not sure how it looks disgusting to you. It's literally just pasta with olive oil, garlic, parm, lemon juice, salt and pepper, parsley and red pepper flakes. Now I'm hungry.
 
Venatio

Venatio

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Oct 25, 2017
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All of your points seem to center on not liking the way Favreau looks or finding it unrealistic that beautiful women could be attracted to him.

It's good. Maybe you should finish it?
 
Rand a. Thor

Rand a. Thor

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Oct 31, 2017
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Vanity project or not it was a damn fine movie, and a rare semi-accurate portrayal of the kitchen life. Only other one out there is Burnt, but that's on a whole nother level. And really? Its a high profile hollywood film, who the hell else are they gonna hire to play his love interests outside of extremely good looking female actresses?
 
FlowersisBritish

FlowersisBritish

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Oct 25, 2017
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Chef is really great if you're into professional cheffery. Otherwise its a really straightforward movie without a lot going for it. But that grilled cheese tho....
 
OP
OP
John Dunbar

John Dunbar

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Oct 25, 2017
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I read the summary of what happens after I stopped watching. Yeah, Jon Favreau might as well have sucked his own dick for two hours on screen.
 
The Argus

The Argus

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Oct 28, 2017
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Disgusting looking spaghetti?! Really? This movie clearly wasn't for you OP. I loved it and all of its food porn and real chefs. Show is great too.
 
Lobster Roll

Lobster Roll

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Sep 24, 2019
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The movie is praised by people in the restaurant industry as being a real depiction of restaurant kitchens and the people & personalities that come with that life. The other movie that receives this kind of praise is Ratatouille.
 
Flaurehn

Flaurehn

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Oct 25, 2017
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Mexico City
I love that movie, only wish it had like 5-10 more minutes because it ends abruptly, also the movie uses his love of cooking to create a paralel of his directing career, so in that aspect it is indeed a vanity project, but I disagree entirely with the opinion that is bad
 
nded

nded

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Nov 14, 2017
10,653
That spaghetti looked pretty good to me. Sorry he didn't make your favorite bolognese with cut up hotdogs OP.
 
whatsinaname

whatsinaname

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Oct 25, 2017
15,119
John Dunbar said:
This movie was on TV couple days ago, and I started watching it since it seemed like some lighthearted fun and I had nothing better to do (in fact, I never do). Instead of some light entertainment, I was legit surprised by what I saw and I'm still thinking about it.

I only watched like 30 minutes before I just had to stop, but during that time at least the following happened:

1. Jon Favreau of course plays the lead role: a brilliant chef whose genius is universally recognised. Everyone sucks up to him. And he also has a ton of fake tattoos because Favreau decided his cool as fuck chef needs a sleeve.
2. His ex-wife is Sofia Vergara, because of course she is.
3. Scarlett Johansson works at his restaurant and simply can't contain her lust for him. There is a pre-coital scene where she gazes at him in awe while he cooks her some disgusting looking spaghetti.

Favreau then got a bad review which is sure to trigger some more genius from him. I stopped watching during an awful scene where his son explains Twitter to him because I couldn't take it anymore. I actually admire the audacity of making this movie, but goddamn it was unwatchable.

Any other terrible examples of recent vanity projects?
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I've yet to see the movie but I don't see the issue here tbh. A lot of art is about and from the creator's own life. What makes this specifically bad?

Would you have felt differently if he only wrote it and had someone else direct and act? Or if he wrote it and directed it but got someone else to act?

Would you feel differently if the character was played by a more attractive actor or if the romantic interests were played by less attractive actresses?
 
Donald Draper

Donald Draper

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Feb 2, 2019
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Rand a. Thor said:
Vanity project or not it was a damn fine movie, and a rare semi-accurate portrayal of the kitchen life. Only other one out there is Burnt, but that's on a whole nother level. And really? Its a high profile hollywood film, who the hell else are they gonna hire to play his love interests outside of extremely good looking female actresses?
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I loved both this and burnt. I wish more films were made about the subject.
 
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