Review Roundup: Bradley Cooper, Emma Thompson & Sienna Miller Star in BURNT

Bradley Cooper (SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, AMERICAN HUSTLE,THE ELEPHANT MAN), Emma Thompson (Broadway's ME AND MY GIRL, SWEENEY TODD) and Sienna Miller (FOXCATCHER, AMERICAN SNIPER,CABARET) star in the new comedy-drama, BURNT.

Directed by John Wells with a screenplay written by Steven Knight, BURNT follows the story of Chef Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper) had it all, and lost it. A two-star Michelin rockstar with the bad habits to match, the former enfant terrible of the Paris restaurant scene did everything different, and only ever cared about the thrill of creating explosions of taste. To land his own kitchen and that elusive third Michelin star, he'll need the best of the best by his side, including the beautiful Helene (Sienna Miller). BURNT is a remarkably funny and emotional story about the love of food, the love between two people, and the power of second chances.

Along with Bradley Cooper, Emma Thompson and Sienna Miller BURNT stars Daniel Brühl, Omar Sy, Uma Thurman, Sam Keeley and Riccardo Scamarcio.

Let's see what the critics had to say!

Justin Chang, Variety: During the worst of his many plate-smashing temper tantrums, Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper), self-styled bad boy of the London culinary world, scolds his fellow chefs for not meeting his brutally exacting standards: "If it's not perfect, you throw it away!" Applying that logic, we would have to dispense entirely with "Burnt," a moody-foodie therapy session that follows an increasingly tidy narrative recipe as it sets this one-man kitchen nightmare on a long road to redemption. Although John Wells' dramedy is energized by its mouth-watering montages and an unsurprisingly fierce lead turn from Cooper, Steven Knight's script pours on the acid but holds the depth, forcing its fine actors (including Sienna Miller and Daniel Bruhl) to function less as an ensemble than as a motley sort of intervention group. Unlikely to capitalize on its once-rumored awards prospects or match "Chef's" indie-breakout status, the Weinstein Co.'s Oct. 30 release might still stir up a favorable arthouse and VOD response.

Scott Mendelson, Forbes: Burnt is the kind of unabashed and relatively simple character study that we don't see much of in our multiplexes, to the point where my wife presumed it was a (failed) would-be Oscar contender by default. But however much I admire the low-scale ambitions and intentions of the film, it is not tasty enough and the ingredients aren't as fresh as you might think. In keeping with an early speech about the taken-for-granted value of fast food, it is a Whopper with a fancier bun, as opposed to a genuine Kobe hamburger. And that, Burnt, is why you've been chopped.

Jon Frosch, Hollywood Reporter: Glib, sloppy and shamelessly clichéd, it's a middling vehicle for its charismatic leading man Bradley Cooper, who sweats and swears up a storm as a disgraced chef orchestrating a comeback. Cooper can do this kind of arrogant-but-irresistible golden boy shtick in his sleep, but that doesn't make it any less pleasurable to watch. Flashing his baby blues and a fiery temper, the actor gives a fully engaged performance that almost makes us want to forgive the movie's laziness. Almost.

Chris Bumbray, JoBlo: While BURNT is never a really bad movie, it's still a very frustrating, tepid one. There very well may be a much better version of BURNT lying around in a vault somewhere, but this feels like a watered-down version of something that should have been much cooler. It's an OK movie and never a chore to sit through, but considering the pedigree, it should have been a whole lot better.

Edward Douglas, Comingsoon.net: There are enough decent moments in Burnt to eventually make it enjoyable despite the bland storytelling and Cooper's equally lazy portrayal of the lead character, which makes it hard to get into it for a good hour or more.

Pete Hammond, Deadline: There are moments in the film, written by Steven Knight and directed with precision by John Wells, where you just want to get up and slap Adam Jones into reality, but you also understand this man is a supremely talented perfectionist, a genius in the kitchen, who has lost his way. Oddly I was rooting for him, even after one particularly vicious tirade against his staff. That's a tribute to Cooper, who gives this man real dimension. He's exceptional again and proves why he may be the hottest star working today.

BWW will continue to update as reviews come in!

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