''Chef's Special'' () is a 2008 Spanish film directed by . It stars Javier Cámara, Benjamín Vicuña, Lola Dueñas, and

Fernando Tejero Fernando Tejero Muñoz-Torrero (born 24 February 1967) is a Spanish actor. Among his work, he has acted in multiple films, including '' Football Days'' (2003), for which he won the Goya Award for Best New Actor, '' The Longest Penalty Shot in ...

. It centers on

homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or Human sexual activity, sexual behavior between people of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexu ...

and the decision to come out, following men who have had relationships with women to hide their own sexuality, to the point of even having kids. The film also deals with the theme of single parents.

Plot

Maxi is the chef and owner of a restaurant, Xantarella, who aspires to win a

Michelin Star The ''Michelin Guides'' ( ; ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The ''Guide'' awards up to three Michelin stars for excellence to a select few restaurants in certain geographic ...

but is having financial difficulties. He helps Alex, a maître d’ who is desperately looking for a boyfriend. It has been a while since Maxi has come out of the closet and declared his

. Since then, he left behind his wife and his two children whom he has not seen in the last seven years. His wife's death leads him to have to take care of his two estranged kids. Meanwhile, an Argentinian soccer player, Horacio, comes into Maxi and Alex's lives and passes himself off as heterosexual when in reality he is homosexual. The film develops from the love triangle formed between Maxi, Álex, and Horacio, Maxi's responsibility to his kids, and the future of the restaurant.

Cast

Release

The film premiered in Spain on 11 April 2008 and was a success in the box office, earning almost €1 million in its first weekend and ending the year as the sixth highest-grossing Spanish film grossing €5,11 million.

Reception

The critical reception was not as favorable, receiving negative reviews from important publications like ''

El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...

'', '' El Mundo'', and ''

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

''.

Accolades

, - , rowspan = "2" , 2009 , , rowspan = "2" , 23rd Goya Awards , , Best Actor , , Javier Cámara , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Supporting Actor , , Fernando Tejero , ,

References

External links

* 2008 films Gay-related films Spanish LGBTQ-related films 2000s Spanish-language films 2000s Spanish films Films about chefs 2008 LGBTQ-related films Warner Bros. films {{LGBT-film-stub