Nacho G. Velilla | Fuera de carta (Chef's Special) / 2008

finding family

by Douglas Messerli

 

Nacho G. Velilla, David S. Olivas, Oriol Capel, and Antonio Sánchez (screenplay), Nacho G. Velilla (director) Fuera de carta (Chef’s Special) / 2008

 

This Spanish farce was a terribly popularly film at home in Spain, ending up at the 6^th best-selling movie in 2008, while the critics demurred.

     Well, it is true that this is a sort of mock hysterical comedy, and its plot, written by 4 screenwriters weaves a sort of threadbare pattern that is as unbelievable as almost any film out there; but if you sit back and enjoy its broad humor you can certainly understand its audience appeal.

     Noted chef of the Xantarella Maxi (Javier Cámara) is a perfectionist when it comes to food, and like many an owner chef almost abuses his employees, some of whom such as Ramiro (Fernando Tejero) seem to almost deserve it. Maxi’s goal is to win a star from the Michelin Guide. Indeed, the film begins with Ramiro mistaking a Michelin tire salesman with a reviewer of restaurants, the staff cooking up a very special meal for no result.

      But things get “cooking” so to speak with Maxi’s maître d’ Alex (Lola Dueñas) arrives drunk and forlorn, having once more been dumped by a man. Maxi, a gay man, long out of the closet and openly homosexual, comforts the angry woman by taking her home and attempting to put her to sleep on his couch, mostly with little effect.   

   He also attempts to help Alex find a new love when Alex and he discover that the famed former Argentinian soccer player, Horacio (Benjamín Vicuña) is a regular customer. Joining her on what she defines as their first date, Maxi attempts to further Alex’s relationship, but in the process discovers that, in fact, Horacio is a closet gay man in love with Maxi himself.

       Horacio and Maxi go to bed, while Alex attributes Horacio’s failure to carry through sex as his chivalrous behavior. She continues to delude herself for many days until Horacio admits that she is not for him, Alex presuming he has another woman, and again becoming furious with the intent of tracking his bedmate down to destroy her. When she finally discovers that the other woman is actually her boss, she once more goes on a rampage.

       This craziness might have been enough for any one farce, but an even more important even occurs when his ex-wife dies and their children, Edu (Junio Valverde) and young sister, are forced to come live with him, both, particularly the angry young teenager Edu hating their father for his years of inattention. The boy’s anger is most palpable when he gets into a fight about homosexuality, bullying a young gay boy of his age, at school. Edu is expelled.

        Horacio, running a boys’ soccer group somewhat ameliorates his anger, and at a father son game he literally tales his revenge on his father in the name of game aggression. But when he discovers that, in fact, Horacio is his father’s lover, the situation for Maxi becomes impossible, and the chef is forced to take his children to his own unforgiving conservative and constantly arguing parents to live.    

      Maxi’s restaurant is near bankruptcy. But then he is secretly given the name of the true Michelin Guide reviewer, and is rejuvenated with possibilities. Indeed, the reviewer makes a dinner appointment, which happens also to be Edu’s birthday.

        Finally, realizing what a failure his has been, Maxi decides to drive to his parents to bring his son a special gift, believing he will be able to return before the reviewer arrives. He puts his saute-chef in charge, only to discover via telephone that she, who is pregnant, has gone into labor and the reviewer has arrived early. Although his daughter his happy to see him, Edu is still angry until Maxi admits that yes, he did dislike the fact of his children’s existence and that he has failed at everything. Suddenly, and quite unbelievably, Edu and he make up, while the foolish Ramiro is left to speak for Maxi’s excellent restaurant.

       The results are quite obvious, as in the last scene we observe the Xantarella having been turned into a small and cosy café, and finally Maxi, a changed man, determines to take off a day to share with Horacio, Edu and daughter on trip in the country, leaving the cooking to his able and no longer abused workers.

       The joy of the film is the farcical chaos it creates, but at the same time it is so stuffed with plot details which jut off in all directions (I have left out dozens of extraneous scenes), that anyone who desires a truly coherent message—critics obviously—will be confused and disappointed. One should leave this film to its appreciative everyday audiences who don’t mind, apparently, patching up the holes when the film goes awry.

      Frankly, I loved this rather old-fashioned comic treat. To describe it as anything else would be nearly impossible, but we need farce sometimes in our lives.

 

Los Angeles, June 5, 2025

Reprinted from My Queer Cinema blog (June 2025).