Typically, the appeal of a show or movie that takes place almost entirely in a restaurant is the food. Cooking elaborate cuisine isn’t for the faint of heart, so it’s better to watch someone else do it. The Bear is aware of that sentiment, but it has bigger fish to fry. The titular restaurant is nothing but a meeting place for the cast to work out their problems and discuss their feelings. At the end of Season 3, all anyone can worry about is an upcoming review of the restaurant in the Chicago Tribune that they think will make or break their careers. The Bear waits until Season 4 to reveal whether the review is good or bad, and the truth hits like a ton of bricks.
It comes to light that the critic thinks the beef window in the back of The Great is great, while the main kitchen needs some work. The words sting, and Carmen Berzatto and Co. don’t know how to handle them at first. However, they start to realize that cooking is about more than getting one person to like the food, which is the exact same message Jon Favreau‘s Chef tries to preach.
Chef Is Also About Rediscovering Passion At the Darkest Time
After making a couple of hits for Marvel Studios, Favreau decided to tell an intimate story with Chef. The 2014 movie follows a successful California-based Chef, Carl Casper, who doesn’t get along with the owner of the restaurant where he works. Carl wants to try new things, but the owner wants to stick with what works. When a popular critic comes into the restaurant, Carl once again tries to be innovative. The owner puts his foot down, and Carl backs off. However, the review that the restaurant receives claims the establishment is devoid of passion, and that Carl has lost his touch, which provokes him into unwittingly starting a flame war with the critic on Twitter.
Carl quits, but an escalation of the social beef leads to him confronting the critic (played by Oliver Platt) to his face, and his tirade goes viral. Without any other employment options, he travels with his ex-wife and son to Miami, where he decides to rebuild a food truck (financed by Robert Downey Jr) and drive around the country, selling food he wants to make. His son and best friend (John Leguizamo) join him, and together, they make the truck a viral sensation. The adventure brings Carl and his son closer together, and by the end of the road trip, everyone’s in a better place.
The critic even shows up to try Carl’s new menu and loves it so much that he agrees to bankroll him in a new restaurant. Chef concludes with Carl remarrying his ex-wife and embracing his son, having a new lease on life after remembering what’s truly important in life. The Bear Season 4 ends with Carmy in a similar place, but his journey may take him to unfamiliar territory.
The Bear Pushes Carmy to Learn About Perspective
While a tough review usually isn’t the end of the world, the pressure is on in The Bear Season 4 because the restaurant’s main investor, Uncle Jimmy, of course also played by Oliver Platt, who also portrays the critic in Chef, doesn’t have much patience. He wants to support his family, but he knows that restaurants are no joke and only the best survive. Carmy takes steps to make life easier for his employees, such as having a set menu, and things appear to be looking up at The Bear. However, he also notices that Sydney has as much potential as he does and a lot more passion.
Carmy decides to leave Sydney the restaurant and retire. She doesn’t take the news well because she feels like he’s dumping a major problem on her. The truth is, though, that Carmy is finding success in other aspects of life. He enjoys spending time with Claire and knows things won’t end well if he continues at the same pace. Sometimes, walking away can be the right choice, and it’s possible that leaving the restaurant behind will allow Carmy to come to the same conclusions Carl does in Chef. It’s the only way he’ll be able to have his cake and eat it, too.
Did you see the connections between Chef and The Bear? Do you think Carmy will end up in a better place like Carl? Let us know in the comments below! The Bear is streaming on Hulu.
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