''Final Recipe'' is a 2013 South Korean-Thai drama film directed by

Gina Kim Gina Kim may refer to: * Gina Kim (filmmaker) Gina Kim (born 1973, South Korea) is a filmmaker and academic. Kim's five feature-length films and short films have garnered acclaim through screenings at most major film festivals and at venues such ...

and written by George Huang, who adapted a story by Kim. It stars

Michelle Yeoh Michelle Yeoh Choo Kheng, ( ; born 6 August 1962) is a Malaysian actress. Credited as Michelle Khan in her early Hong Kong films, she rose to fame in the 1990s after starring in a series of Hong Kong action films where she performed her own ...

Henry Lau Henry Lau (; ko, 헨리; born October 11, 1989), often mononymously referred to as Henry, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor based in South Korea and China. He debuted in 2008 as a member of Super Junior-M ...

, and Chin Han. Lau plays a young man who must impress the host of a cooking show (Yeoh) and her chef husband (Han) to save his grandfather's restaurant. It premiered at the

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...

Plot

Red Phoenix's Singaporean restaurant is in danger of going out of business due to the owner Hao's difficult personality. Hao was once a famous chef. Now Hao's only hope is that his grandson Mark (Yi han) enters a prestigious university to become an engineer. However Mark's dream is to follow his grandfather's footsteps and become a chef and take over the family restaurant. Mark secretly travels to Shanghai to attend a cooking competition without his grandfather's knowledge and consent. He takes the place of a contestant who did not show up. Finally he competes against talented chefs from Japan, Korea and Australia, and freely shows off ravishing cooking skills that he has accumulated from his grandfather over the years. As Mark wins round after round and gains attention, Julia, the contest producer notices something peculiar about him, then slowly realizes that Mark and her husband David resemble each other.

Cast

as Julia Lee *

as Mark * Chin Han as David Chen *

Tseng Chang Tseng Chang (; 18 May 1930 – 25 January 2021) was a Chinese actor. He participated in the films '' Xiang xi shi Wang'', '' Yu ya gon wu'' and ''2012'', with John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet and Thandiwe Newton. On 25 January 2021, ...

as Hao *

Lori Tan Chinn Lori Tan Chinn is an American actress and comedian. She was a recurring character in the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' and currently stars as Awkwafina's Grandma on Comedy Central's '' Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens'' (2020–presen ...

as Mrs. Wang *

Bobby Lee Robert Lee Jr. (born September 17, 1971) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and podcaster. From 2001 to 2009, Lee was a cast member on ''MADtv'', and he co-starred in the ABC single-camera sitcom series '' Splitting Up Together'' alongs ...

as Park * Lika Minamoto as Kaori *

Aden Young Aden Young (born 30 November 1971) is a Canadian-Australian actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Daniel Holden in the SundanceTV drama ''Rectify'', for which he was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor ...

as Sean *

George Young George Young may refer to: Arts and entertainment * George Young (filmmaker), Australian stage manager and film director in the silent era * George Young (rock musician) (1946–2017), Australian musician, songwriter, and record producer * Geor ...

as Bob 'Benny' Tan, moderator of the contest * Byron Bishop as Chef Gio Kwan *

Patrick Teoh Patrick Teoh (born 16 October, 1947) is an actor and radio personality in Malaysia. A career in radio, on TV, stage and in movies spanning more than five decades earned Teoh the nickname of "Voice of Malaysia", bestowed by his fans and the Mala ...

as Mr. Lee * Sahajak Boonthanakit as Detective Jack Jien

Production

Production started in Thailand on May 24, 2012, and the film was reported to be in post-production by January 31, 2013.

Release

''Final Recipe'' premiered at the

on September 21, 2013.

Reception

Jay Weissberg of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' called it a shallow and predictable film but said that Yeoh "makes the saccharine flavors go down slightly better". Clarence Tsui of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly large ...

'' described it as "a mild, feel-good tale about reconciliation of three generations of a cookery-gifted clan". Mark Adams of ''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' wrote, "The heart of ''Final Recipe'' may be pure melodrama, but it is a glossy and enjoyable journey."

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, final_recipe 2013 films 2013 drama films South Korean drama films English-language South Korean films English-language Thai films Cooking films 2010s English-language films 2010s Mandarin-language films 2010s South Korean films