Two things I particularly loved about "Chef": 1. The food. Wow, those cooking scenes are sensory nirvana. The way it's shot makes you wish they were serving the dishes right in the theater. And 2. Robert Downey Jr. He's only in the film for a few minutes, but he injects the pleasant-enough film with sparks of furious life and wicked comedy. The rest of the film rides along as if it were low-key improvisation. But there is a script, and it's by Jon Favreau, who also directs and stars as the titular chef. The character verbally unloads on a blog critic - a meltdown that is videoed and goes viral - and he is fired from a posh California eatery. He ends up on a road trip where he finds himself and builds a better relationship with is 10-year-old son (a wonderfully natural Emjay Anthony). "Chef" meanders too much for its own good, but it's got heart. Favreau, whose past directorial efforts have ranged from "Elf" to a couple of "Iron Mans," peppers the cast with famous names - a little Dustin Hoffman here, a little Scarlet Johansson there. Sofia Vergara looks lovely but gets little to do as the chef's ex-wife.

- KRISTINA DORSEY