Delicious

It’s 1789. Tensions in pre-revolutionary France are boiling. The ancien régime (“old order”) is viewed by the populace as a crumbled, mouldy consortium of exaggerated powdered wigs, lavish banquets and excess. Ideals of citizenship, equality and freedom begin to seep through the veins of the peasantry. In the midst of the chaos is the origin story of the restaurant concept, the subject of the new hit comedy film, Delicious.

France is well-regarded as the centre and purveyor of the fine artistry of food, drink and delicacies. Champagne? Brie cheese? Wine? Croissants? Beef Bourguignon? All great things. Directed by Éric Besnard, Delicious posits the opening of France’s – perhaps the world’s – first restaurant against the backdrop of the French Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment. It is a testament to Besnard’s craft for storytelling that these gigantic forces don’t spoil the broth when it comes to plot and character development.

Quite so, the opening scenes are essentially #foodporn fodder. We see Manceron (Grégory Gadebois) knead dough into le delicieux for his master, the Duke of Chamfort (Benjamin Lavernhe). When the Duke calls his chef to appear before the noble party members, he soon receives an aristocratic dressing down when the party is aghast to learn his creation is nothing but a pastry full of potato and truffle. Manceron’s faux pas sees him ejected from the chateau.

Manceron moves back to his humble inn with his enlightened son, Benjamin (Lorenzo Lefebvre), where he meets Louise (Isabelle Carré) – a mysterious woman with a yearning to cook – and he begins to re-engage with his love for food. Together, Manceron and Louise create a restaurant for anyone and everyone, including their (mutual) enemies.

While set in the 18^th Century, Delicious illustrates the complex relationship of food in socioeconomic terms. We see the wealthy feast on exotic spices, a smorgasbord of meat and vibrance, and we also see the impoverished eat stale bread and chestnut soup. Manceron also wants to use local products, much of which the character grows on an adjacent farm, becoming the ultimate seasonal produce connoisseur.

The mouth-watering historical comedy is the perfect summertime flick. The pacing of the film is golden brown; and there are enough twists and turns to make it a great film to sit back and enjoy. Tremendous props for the chemistry between Gadebois and Carré. They both shine in their roles and are able to pull off a Beauty-and-the-Beast romantic vibe. The scene where we learn of Louise’s past and her stint at the convent are among their most magical moments.

Beautiful, joyful and a feast for the senses, Delicious is the uplifting tale that celebrates individuality, creativity and, of course, some very yummy food.

Delicious
In cinemas 26 December 2021
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