Love, Charlie: The Rise and Fall of Chef Charlie Trotter is a documentary that chronicles the tumultuous career of a chef who is equally acclaimed for making French cooking more accessible in the US and similarly frowned upon for his aggressive persona.
Before Anthony Bourdain, before Gordon Ramsay, there was Charlie. The late Charlie Trotter was one of the earliest celebrity chefs of the modern day, an American culinary genius always ready with a stash of ever-changing menus. While Trotter didn't enjoy the same television glory as contemporaries and friends like Bourdain and Ramsay, Trotter still remains an integral (and rather enigmatic) figure in modern-day dining. Rebecca Helpern's documentary does a good enough job of detailing Charlie Trotter's life, from his upper-class upbringing to his struggles starting his self-named Chicago restaurant (that closed its doors in 2012). With some formulaic but nevertheless chuckle-inducing interviews from his kitchen contemporaries, friends, and family, the documentary resurrects the late chef with some tenderness and wit. Think of Hell's Kitchen but without the cameras. Even if you aren't acquainted with Trotter's legacy, the documentary fills you in with enough facts to not just know about the man but also (strangely enough) feel for him.
A fairly straightforward biography occasionally elevated by the mystery of its subject. While Love, Charlie can't really stand above its genre tropes and celebrates the chef more than it humanizes him, the documentary still has its introspective moments. For instance, Helpern doesn't hold back in diving into Trotter's infamous temper tantrums and unprofessional working standards. Here was a genius who slept in his kitchen, valued his restaurant above his wives, and threw a fit if his protégé got an extra Michelin star than him. It's in these moments when the documentary truly shines and goes beyond its hagiographic details. The end result is likely to yield mixed responses among audiences, but for a 90-minute celebration— and occasional desecration — an enigmatic chef, Love, Charlie, still does the job.
Not exactly a groundbreaking portrait of Chef Charlie Trotter, but still an immersive enough glimpse into his troubled genius.
