| Final Recipe | |
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 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Gina Kim |
| Screenplay by | George Huang |
| Story by | Gina Kim |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Steve M. Choe |
| Music by | Mok Young-jin |
| Production companies |
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| Release date |
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| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | English |
Final Recipe is a 2013 South Korean-Thai drama film directed by Gina Kim and written by George Huang, who adapted a story by Kim. It stars Michelle Yeoh, Henry Lau, and Chin Han. Lau plays a young man who must impress Yeoh, who is the host, producer, and one of two judges of a cooking competition show, along with and the reigning master chef (Han), in order to win a large prize money to save his grandfather's restaurant. It premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival.
Plot
Red Phoenix's Singaporean restaurant is in danger of going out of business due to the owner Hao's difficult personality despite the food being great. Hao was once a famous chef. Now Hao's only hope is that his grandson Mark (Yi han) enters a prestigious university to become an engineer. However Mark's dream is to follow his grandfather's footsteps and become a chef and take over the family restaurant. Mark secretly travels to Shanghai to participate in a cooking competition show without his grandfather's knowledge and consent. He takes the place of a contestant who did not show up. Finally he competes against talented chefs from all over the world, and freely shows off ravishing cooking skills that he has accumulated from his grandfather over the years.
As Mark wins round after round and gains attention, Julia, the contest producer notices something peculiar about him, then slowly realizes that there's some kind of connection between Mark and the reigning master chef David on the show.
Cast
- Michelle Yeoh as Julia Lee
- Henry Lau as Mark
- Chin Han as David Chen
- Tseng Chang as Hao
- Lori Tan Chinn as Mrs. Wang
- Bobby Lee as Park
- Lika Minamoto as Kaori
- Aden Young as Sean
- George Young as Bob 'Benny' Tan, moderator of the contest
- Byron Bishop as Chef Gio Kwan
- Patrick Teoh as Mr. Lee
- Sahajak Boonthanakit as Detective Jack Jien
Production
Production started in Thailand on May 24, 2012, and the film was reported to be in post-production by January 31, 2013.
Release
Final Recipe premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival on September 21, 2013.
Reception
Jay Weissberg of Variety called it a shallow and predictable film but said that Yeoh "makes the saccharine flavors go down slightly better". Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter described it as "a mild, feel-good tale about reconciliation of three generations of a cookery-gifted clan". Mark Adams of Screen Daily wrote, "The heart of Final Recipe may be pure melodrama, but it is a glossy and enjoyable journey."
References
- Frater, Patrick (2012-05-24). "Yeoh stirred by CJ's Recipe". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- Frater, Patrick (2013-01-31). "Yeoh to be hailed at Asian Film Awards". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- Lee, Claire (2013-10-14). "CJ's Pan-Asian film in English opens Hawaii International Film Fest". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- "Final Recipe". San Sebastián International Film Festival. Archived from the original on 2016-04-14. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- Weissberg, Jay (2013-09-30). "San Sebastian Film Review: 'Final Recipe'". Variety. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- Tsui, Clarence (2013-09-26). "Final Recipe: San Sebastian Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-04-02.
- Adams, Mark (2013-09-23). "Final Recipe". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2016-04-02.