Favreau makes ‘Chef’ a delicious success

Jon Favreau makes “Iron Man” movies and crummy blockbuster comedies. What’s he doing getting his cooking chops down and stepping in front of the camera, and behind it, for “Chef,” a mouth-watering culinary wish-fulfillment fantasy?

Take this script, which he wrote, directed and stars in, as a metaphor for his film career. “Chef” is Favreau’s most personal film since “Swingers,” an overlong comedy full of his food, his taste in music, his favorite places and a boatload of his favorite actors.

And the actor Favreau brings his A-game patter to this romp about embattled Los Angeles chef Carl Casper, once celebrated, now in a rut, who has to take a road trip in a food truck to find his soul, and his food, again.

“Chef” has adorable, PG-13-worthy father-son bonding, with Favreau really clicking with Emjay Anthony, who plays his kid. It has a wonderful supporting cast, with fellow cooks played by John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale, the restaurant manager/ hostess played by Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara as Carl’s party-planner ex-wife and Robert Downey Jr., leaning into the sort of eccentric word play that only Favreau brings out in him (he’s another ex-husband of Vergara’s party planner).

All of it comes off thanks to wonderful early scenes that establish Favreau’s comfort in the kitchen, his steady hand with a knife. He seems at home in this world and relishes explaining what makes it special.

It’s nice to see Favreau can still bring it once he’s put down the comic books and the soul-sucking blockbusters they demand. Welcome back. Now, let’s eat.