The film Burnt came out in 2015 and won six awards here and there. Nevertheless, it did not do particularly well at the box office.

It must have been badly marketed, because I found it delightful and well acted by Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Bruhl, Matthew Rhys, Emma Thompson, and Uma Thurman.

Cooper plays Adam Jones, a highly successful chef in France who wrecked his life with drugs, booze, and women. He comes to London to reinvent himself as a premiere chef and wants a third star from Michelin. He looks up people he worked with in Paris and attempts to convince them to work for him, and he also looks for new people. He's impressed with a sous chef (Sienna Miller),who doesn't like him at first.

Adam decides to take over his friend Tony's (Daniel Bruhl) restaurant by showing up the night that Michelin is in the restaurant. With his reputation on the line, Tony has no choice but to let him cook.

With a team in place, Adam shows himself to be a complete perfectionist who yells, screams, and breaks dishes when the food isn't the way he wants it. One night, after what he thinks is a complete disaster, he shows up wasted at the restaurant of a rival (Matthew Rhys) who tries to help.

Such a fun and interesting film, and who minds looking at Bradley Cooper? We get to see some of what goes on in the kitchen of a top restaurant - the film used top people as consultants - and learn just enough to make us curious about what is a truly fine art.

Highly recommended.

The portions might be small, but the food and film seemed delicious.

Having been the master chef, but losing everything due to his lifestyle, Bradley Cooper sets out to rebuild his reputation in this film.

A perfectionist to the core, part of the film is devoted for him attempting to assemble a group to work with. He proves impossible to work with. He is a visionary, and against consistency in food. Something variable or different must be on the menu and he instills his love for the culinary among his workers.

Other parts of the film are dedicated to pleasing the food critics.

I wonder how much weight was gained by Cooper and others while filming took place. With the relatively small portions, probably not that much.

People are probably tired of hearing me say what is going to be said now, being not the first time it's been said. Only because it is applicable to more than one film. 'Burnt' had an interesting idea that indicated a good story if done right, a talented cast deserving of material worthy of them and it would certainly entice anybody who enjoys their food and likes fine dining.

'Burnt' is not an awful film by any stretch and certainly is not a film with no redeeming values, but it is not hard to see why reviews were lukewarm to negative. There was a good film somewhere in 'Burnt', sadly despite such great promise it never emerges. Essentially it was a lukewarm bland film that would have basically fared better with less ingredients and cooked the remaining elements all the way through.

There are things that work in 'Burnt's' favour and stops it from being completely raw. Sorry for the food/cooking references, can't resist. The best thing about it is Bradley Cooper, an excellent performance that burns with intensity regardless of the one-dimensional and trying-too-hard-to-be-a-demon-chef way his character is written. Daniel Bruhl also rises above the material.

Sienna Miller gives 'Burnt' some heart and charm, a very competent performance actually considering what was given to her (which generally was not a whole lot to write home about) and her personal life, while very clichéd, is somewhat identifiable and just about avoids the over-sentimentality route. It's competently filmed, the soundtrack while not unforgettable is nice enough and the food is delicious-looking and how the ways it's cooked is portrayed makes one want to cook something in your own privacy.

Not all the cast come off well, well actually the rest of the cast. They all try their best, but they are either wasted (Emma Thompson),useless (Alicia Vikander, her character and writing rather than her) or forgettable (Uma Thurman). They are undone by a half-baked script that not even the excessive swearing can give heat to, apart from the odd witty line, and sketchy characterisation where any attempts at development is generally vague.

Its portrayal of how kitchen life works came over as over-heated, as fulfilling and exciting it can be it is also very stressful but not to an extent that feels like a wannabe version of 'Hell's Kitchen', if nowhere near as fake or staged but without the savage and hilarious one-liners and insults (at least on that show Gordon Ramsay has a reason to act that way, the main character's behaviour was far too extreme and out of order regardless of his struggles to atone). It certainly does not make one seriously consider going into cooking as a profession, have dealt with my fair share of pressure but this amount shown here would see me quit within hours.

Even with the presence of food, it could have featured more and 'Burnt' never feels like a celebration of it and lacks any kind of joy or colour. Its attempts at dissecting the chef's mind never goes deep enough or explored properly, it just feels vague and under-done. The underworld debt subplot never catches fire and lacks tension completely, wouldn't have said no to it being left out and the film finding another way of the main character starting afresh. The film and its messaging may have been identifiable and relevant, if it rang true, had subtlety, had a main character worth rooting for and didn't override itself in clichés. 'Burnt' is a failure at all four (though the third point has no bearing on Cooper),big missed opportunity.

At the end of the day, 'Burnt' was an at times digestible but empty experience, an under-cooked recipe that never reaches the boil let alone burns. 4/10 Bethany Cox