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Sep 12, 201291Step Up To The Plate is as much about the passing along of a legacy as it is about cooking.
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Sep 13, 201290What resonates here are two men, two good men, whose lives have a paradoxically simple and complex bond beyond their profession. Step Up to the Plate asserts how family, in multifarious ways, can be the most deeply affecting of ensembles.
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75It's the story of changing chefs and changing seasons. It looks at food as not just something that nourishes our bodies, but as something that enriches our lives and our relationships.
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75The movie's patient in the way of "El Bulli: Cooking in Progress" or "Jiro Dreams of Sushi." That's where culinary nonfiction is now - sleepy, observant. And, for the most part, that's OK.
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Sep 13, 201275The film's true fascination is in the kitchen, as it is for the chefs themselves.
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75Paul Lacoste's almost purely observational approach allows him to come about as close to documenting the process of creation as anyone ever has.
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50As for the so-called "food compositions" seen here, like the film itself, they're more impressionistic and artistic than enticing. For a far more satisfying cinematic meal, check out the similarly themed "Jiro Dreams of Sushi."
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40While foodies are sure to feel sated by the gastronomic splendors of Paul Lacoste's debut documentary, others may walk out with a strange sense of emptiness.
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Sep 12, 201240Step Up to the Plate doesn't skimp on the food-porn goods, but the dynamic between its two stoical subjects is too undercooked to truly resonate.