The General Film Festival brought yet another taste of culture to campus last Wednesday with Paul Lacoste’s “Step Up to the Plate.” Released in 2012, “Step up the Plate” follows world renowned chef Michel Bras of Restaurant Bras and his son Sébastian.
After many years of work to attain three Michelin stars, Michel Bras worries about putting the pressure of that rating on his son Sébastian as he begins to transition into retirement.
The film begins with Michel Bras looking at family photos happily, reflecting on the many years spent together and some of the memories lost while he was busy in the kitchen. It is soon learned that cooking has always been a family affair when photos of a young Séba wearing a chef’s costume are shown.
As the seasons pass, Michel Bras struggles to embrace and support Séba by always providing a helping hand, all the while maintaining a strict control over the restaurant’s quality. From spring to fall, the audience watches as Michel and Séba argue about things in the kitchen, plan recipes together and even enjoy calm time with friends and family in their small French town of Laguiole in the Aveyron region.
Through the many intense scenes, the movie gives a clear insight on what it means to make culinary arts a family affair.
Sophomore Katharine Troth said, “It gave me a glimpse into the lives of chefs of high quality French cuisine. I think I was most surprised by how human they were. When I think of Michelin chefs, I think of people who are really serious in their craft and who don't really have time for humor. However, some of the best parts of the film were watching the dad and the son joke and banter back and forth.”
One scene in particular stuck out in this instance. Near the end of the movie, Séba demonstrates a new recipe to Michel, and while Michel is very particular and offers some criticism, he is still clearly a father and is happy to see his son create something special.
Unfortunately, there are very few moments with this level of emotion and discussion throughout the entire film.
One of the downsides of this movie is its slow and silent nature. French films aren’t exactly known for long dialogues and action-packed scenes, but this movie is on another level entirely. Michel and Séba were interesting to watch, but they most certainly were not entertainers, and at times, the storyline becomes a bit dry.
“Although interesting to watch, this movie dragged on through the seasons of one year without much change in the character of the family or in the story. If you want a film that will make you feel good about wasting time watching movies, I would definitely recommend skipping this one,” said Troth.
As a student studying the French language, I found the film allowed me to gain a better understanding of French culture, but after a long day off classes, it wasn’t the best way to spend a Wednesday night. However, I would recommend this film to anyone interested in the culinary arts because it provides a behind-the-scenes look at a real three-star kitchen. Who knows? Perhaps you will leave inspired to learn the science of high class nutrition.
