Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Director
Christian Vincent
Cast
Catherine Frot,
Arthur Dupont,
Jean D'Ormesson,
Hippolyte Girardot,
Jean-Marc Roulot,
Arly Jover
Genre
Comedy,
Drama
Hortense Laborie, a renowned chef from Périgord, is astonished when the President of the Republic appoints her his personal cook, responsible for creating all his meals at the Élysée Palace. Despite jealous resentment from the other kitchen staff, Hortense quickly establishes herself, thanks to her indomitable spirit.
Wall Street Journal by John Anderson
"Witty and brisk" is not the name of a French breakfast cereal, but it does describe a certain brand of French film, the type that coquettishly flirts with comedy while sprinting in the direction of dry, sophisticated charm. Such is Haute Cuisine.
The Dissolve by Tasha Robinson
A warm and enjoyable small-scale film.
Village Voice by Chuck Wilson
Writer-director Christian Vincent and co-writer Étienne Comar, aided by Frot's quiet intensity, imbue Hortense's quest to pull off culinary miracles with an urgency that's almost absurdly compelling, and all the more entertaining for it.
Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea
An epicurean dream where the dishes conjured up by the characters are as essential to the experience as the characters themselves.
Los Angeles Times by Sheri Linden
Its restraint is its strength. The focus on a woman's passionate hard work without need of marital-status back story is refreshing.
The Hollywood Reporter
Haute Cuisine is light on plot, long on flavor and deliciously French.
The Hollywood Reporter by Bernard Besserglik
Haute Cuisine is light on plot, long on flavor and deliciously French.
The Playlist by Kimber Myers
Unfortunately, the film itself is so determinedly middle-brow with little to dislike other than how eager it is to please and how wary it is of offending. Unlike Hortense’s flavorful cooking, Haute Cuisine is aggressively bland.
The A.V. Club by A.A. Dowd
Narrowness of focus keeps the movie from becoming bloated with self-importance, but it also leaves it feeling a little inconsequential.
Washington Post by Stephanie Merry
Haute Cuisine provides no huge revelations or profound messages, but it is sweetly and consistently engaging — a tasty treat that’s not entirely filling but perfectly enjoyable all the same.
The New York Times by Nicolas Rapold
As flatly directed by Christian Vincent, Haute Cuisine is a reserved, très simple tale that raises the occasional smile and tummy rumble but keeps hiccuping because of the drawn-out parallel story about her subsequent tour of duty.
Time Out by Stephen Garrett
The film’s Antarctic framing device (wait, what?) feels unearned and distracting, regardless of its veracity. But there’s plenty to behold, including a killer Gâteau Saint-Honoré.
Slant Magazine by Chris Cabin
Offers all the ingredients for a great feast of enticing visions and thematic concerns, only to have them be prepared, plated, and served with the grace of Elmer Fudd.
Loading recommendations...
Loading recommendations...