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A broadcast baking show gets roasted in Cook-Off!, a not-so-new comedy opening in select theaters and On Demand everywhere this Friday. Originally filmed in 2007, Cook-Off! has long been baking in the oven. Inexplicably so, it seems, too.
I’ve heard rumblings from the kitchens in Hollyweird about Cook-Off!’s comedic tastiness for far too long, particularly from one Melissa McCarthy who outshines the other performances with her memorable shtick. And, now, having dipped my finger in the film’s chocolate gooeyness, I can report back to you that, as far as mockumentaries go about small-time cooking contests, this film is pretty, pretty, pretty good.
Cook-Off!, with its wit and inspired performances, deserves an audience and, beginning this Friday in select theaters across the country, this uproarious cooking competition finally sees the light of day. It might not live up to its decade-long shelving, but it delivers one hell of a comedic buffet for people who like to laugh.
Starring McCarthy, Ben Falcone, Stephen Root, Diedrich Bader, Wendy McLendon-Covey, Gary Anthony Williams, and Sam Pancake, Cook-Off! highlights this group’s comedic timing and their individual improv chops while focusing on a series of bizarre contestants, with even stranger backgrounds, as they bumble their way through the somewhat renowned Van Rookle Farms Cooking Contest with their abhorrently unpleasant recipes. And it’s all for a million dollar prize!
The film originally premiered at the Comedy Arts Festival in 2007. For those of you keeping a record of such things, that was before Bridesmaids. Yet, the same genius on display in that comedy is brought to a boil here. Co-directed by Cathryn Michon (screenwriter of A Dog’s Purpose) and Guy Shalem (director of Muffin Top: A Love Story), Cook-Off! is made memorable by McCarthy’s wit and wonder as she slips and slides her way through a celebrity cooking competition, complete with a muffin man mascot who gets mercilessly ridiculed.
It is a cooking challenge where marshmallow-laden sweet potatoes become classified as vegetables; where The Love Boat’s Gavin MacLeod gives dating advice; and contestants, under some serious stress, make magic happen with spray cheese. The comedy also features performances from Markie Post, Cedric Yarbrough, and Louie Anderson. This is the whacked-out territory of Cook-Off! Yes, it is Christopher Guest territory and, sure, it’s better in small dosages, but none of that takes away from the fact that the movie works its little heart out to make us laugh.
Lionsgate recently re-edited the movie with previously unused scenes to make it work better than it did before its 10-year shelving. The comedy is not going to be remembered for very long, but it serves its purpose as an enjoyable reheated dish.
Watch spaghetti and slapstick come together! Cook-Off! is served.
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[tab title="Details"]
MPAA Rating: R for sexual material/references.
Runtime: 98 mins
Director: Cathryn Michon, Guy Shalem
Writer: Cathryn Michon, Wendi McLendon-Covey
Cast: Louie Anderson, Nick Rey Angelus, Diedrich Bader
Genre: Comedy
Tagline: Let the flour fly!
Memorable Movie Quote: "This year we'd like to introduce our first male contestant."
Release Date: November 16, 1976
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 17, 2017
Synopsis: Amateur "chefs" from around the country compete for a million dollar prize in the ultimate food fight.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
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