Chef's Special review

1 April 2009

As if running a top-class restaurant weren't enough to cope with, stressed gay fortysomething Maxi (Javier Cámara) is suddenly forced to take in the two children he walked out on years before. Then, to complicate matters further, hunky ex-footballer-turned-pundit Horatio moves into the apartment across the hall. Assuming the new neighbour to be straight, however, Maxi attempts to fix him up with his unlucky-in-love maitre d' Alex (Lola Dueñas) – but it's Maxi Horatio's attracted to, and a clandestine affair begins. The question is: can Maxi find happiness with a man whose career is keeping him in the closet? And can he at the same time become a real father to his children, as well as realise his long-held ambition to earn a Michelin star?

With tart one-liners and zesty performances, Chef's Special is a real treat - and Almodóvar fans may recognise Cámara and Dueñas from Talk To Her (2002) and Volver (2006) respectively. And though on the face of it a frenetic farce, it's still a film with something serious to say. For years married to his business, Maxi comes to realise that his real responsibilities lie with people - and that his past might well hold the key to a more fulfilling future.

Scott Hughes