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God
of Cookery (1996)
No mere words can begin to describe the massive insanity
that is "God of Cookery." I have not seen many Hong
Kong films, the genre generally leaves me cold, but
this one seemed to hold special promise. I was not disappointed.
This is one whacked-out hilarious piece of work.
The film riffs off of "The Iron Chef," an Asian television
cooking program which has recently made it's way to
the United States. The program features chefs pitted
against one another in cook-off competitions. It's handled
almost like a Olympic sport with judges and competitors
as well as a host and regning champions.
Here, in the film, the main character is the titular
"God of Cookery," a chef who has become wealthy and
famous due to his supposed taste and skill. When a subordinate
exposes him as a fraud, he is quickly and ceremoniusly
defeated and finds himself penniless and back on the
streets. Once there, he meets up with a female street
vendor who creates a dish called (I kid you not) Pissing
Exploding Beef Balls. These trifles become a surprise
cultural and culinary hit catapulting the "God" back
into the limelight.
But there is much more going on. Fueds between street
vendors, a love interest, a brief stint in a monastary,
and a showdown with the new "God of Cookery" all fit
into the climax of the film. This thing goes all over
the place to tell it's absurd story. It gets crazy.
A hilarious female judge steals the show in the finale
with her remarkable "do anything for a laugh" performance.
There's also jokes about a gay monk, and the "God" getting
his ass kicked by 18 men of brass. The film flip-flops
back and forth in time to tell the story of the "God's"
return to the limelight by using flashbacks. It's best
to simply say: This film is way whacked out.
"God of Cookery" will astound you with it's crazy
story, it's hilarious moments, it's action and it's
food. There's enough stuff going on here for 10 films.
This is an Hong Kong masterpiece. Make sure you order
Chinese take-out when you rent it.
Report
Card
Script:
C+
Acting: B-
Cinematography\Lighting: C
Special Effects\Make Up: B+
Music: B-
Final
Grade: B-
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