Delicious Parent Guide

Pierre Manceron (Grégory Gadebois) is a master chef, mixing classic French dishes with recipes of his own devising. He has a growing reputation, and guests of his employer, the Duke of Chamfort (Benjamin Lavernhe), are delighted to dine at his table. When a fussy cleric insults Manceron’s work and wounds the Duke’s pride, Manceron rejects his public humiliation and, seizing his clothes and his son, returns to his late father’s decrepit roadside inn, There he settles into subsistence rural living, refusing to cook again.

Manceron may be both proud and stubborn, but when a woman (Louise played by Isabelle Carré) begs to become his apprentice, he finally agrees, despite his belief that women are biologically incapable of understanding food. As they work together, Manceron rediscovers his joy in cooking and his inn becomes a popular resting place for travelers looking for tasty meals and a reprieve from a country sliding into revolution. Things are looking up…until the shadows of the past catch up with them.

Let me be clear, Delicious isn’t a film you watch for the story, satisfying though it may be. This is a glorious example of skilled cinematography and reveling in the stunning filmmaking is reason enough to feast your eyes on this film. Director Éric Besnard gets everything right – from the jewel bright colors in the Duke’s chateau to the burning colors of a country fall and the cool mists and snows of winter. He floods spring and summer scenes with bright golden sunlight and his interior scenes are illuminated with the warm amber of firelight and candles. Other beauties aside, it’s the food that stands out here, filmed with loving detail and displayed like still lives painted in oils by Old Masters. This is the most artistic food porn I’ve ever seen and it will be thoroughly relished by foodies and cinema connoisseurs in equal measure.

Enhancing the story and filming are the cast, particularly Grégory Gadebois in the lead role. His Pierre Manceron has unshakable confidence in his own skill (which could easily be misinterpreted as Gallic arrogance), deep reservoirs of resilience, and the ability to change his attitudes and grow. In fact, watching him adapt to the changes in his life and adopt new opinions and goals is the real joy of the film. The story purports to tell a highly fictionalized story of France’s first restaurant (which actually opened in Paris; not the countryside) but it’s really the story of a man changing with his times, and that gives it universal resonance.

The film’s minimal negative content also broadens its appeal. Almost all violence takes place off screen, sexual material is limited to brief conversation and innuendo, swearing is almost non-existent, and there is only a single scene of intoxication. This movie comes in at the low end of a PG-13 rating and can be watched by teens who are interested in history or fine food. The only real disincentive for audiences is that this is a French film with English subtitles; it is not dubbed. If you don’t like reading subtitles, you won’t enjoy this movie.

For everyone else, Delicious is a feast for the senses. This lovely period film will have your mouth watering with the first few scenes, so make sure your tasty movie snacks are ready before you settle down to watch.