Most films often portray the process of making food as a romanticized procedure, and we’re always told how cooking can make on intrinsically happy. So it’s fascinating to see people in the restaurant work in furious technique. If the rest of the film had the same nervous energy and pace of these sequences, it would have been far more watchable.

Even though the movie has a lot going for it, Burnt’s biggest problem is probably the story. The writers introduce too many subplots and characters, which seem unnecessary. If they had just focused on Adam and his goals, the movie would have had a stronger impact.

Burnt is bland fare at best…