Step Up to the Plate | Movie review

Like a more observational Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Paul Lacoste’s kitchen-confidential documentary is the latest profile of a world-class restaurant and its chef’s handing over of the reins to his son. Interspersed with pretty shots of the French countryside, the film observes the Bras boys, père and fils, as they go about their daily business of preparing food for their eponymous Laguiole restaurant, take a trip to their Japanese location to oversee the creation of a new dish, and muse on the impending takeover by the middle-aged Sébastien, as his elderly father reluctantly contemplates retirement. Step Up to the Plate doesn’t skimp on the food-porn goods, but the dynamic between its two stoical subjects is too undercooked to resonate.