“Chef Flynn” (2018) is an observational documentary in which the filmmaker acts as a fly on the wall to capture its subject in its natural state. Flynn McGarry is the child subject, and director Cameron Yates’ sophomore entry borrows home video from Meg McGarry, filmmaker and mom, who documented her son’s untraditional path to owning a restaurant, Gem, in New York.
I was interested in watching “Chef Flynn” after I saw the preview during a theatrical showing of “42 Grams” (2018), which I adored because it was engrossing with its tantalizing mix of food, dreams and relationships. Pre-pandemic I have been known to spend early twenty-first century rent levels of money on a dining experience, but am just as eager to get a hot dog from New York City street vendors or McDonald’s French fries so I go into these documentaries rooting for the subjects.
After I watched “Chef Flynn,” I was surprised that Meg did not make the film because she plays such a prominent role in the documentary. I am unfamiliar with her work, but I watched the movie cold and felt as if the filmmaker was so close to the subject that it was impossible for that person to imagine a viewer who has zero knowledge of Flynn and would be just as enamored with him as those who loved him without digging into the logistics more. It felt more promotional than comprehensive—an assumption of genius and upward trajectory instead of a chronicle with a healthy mix of struggle and achievements. When the film ended without any setbacks, I got concerned that the worst was yet to come, or the McGarry’s thought that imperfection was not permitted.
“Chef Flynn” is roughly chronological, but jumps around timewise because present-day Flynn provides voiceovers reflecting on his life. The film opens with as an eager teen foraging for ingredients then him in his kitchen as an established figure with a Zagat rating and framed New Yorker article and preparing for another evening serving customers paying $160.00 at his “dining club,” Eureka. Once I realized that he was in his home kitchen, I adjusted my expectations that this kid started working in restaurants and was still here for it. When the film went further back to his origin story, I realized that he started in his bedroom with no visible sink. Once Meg says, “There were definitely sometimes when I would go in and open a drawer, and there would be some old food in there,” my moviegoer hat flew off, and my lawyer hat went on. Wait, what!?!
I like the idea of an underground restaurant because operating a restaurant is not accessible to most aspiring chefs. Most chefs need financial backers. The bureaucracy is daunting to get a business license, a liquor license, a certificate of occupancy, a food service license, a sign permit, a music license, a building health permit and more. Most chefs operating a home-based restaurant will uphold these standards in spirit even if not according to the letter of the law. I am delighted that the McGarry family were able to pursue Flynn’s dream in the spotlight and get praised, not raided, but I live in a country where people call the police on black kids if they sell water bottles on the street. “Chef Flynn” needed to explicitly explain if Studio City, California rules permitted his enterprise or how this family was able to make the transition from entertaining friends and family to the public without running afoul of the authorities. They were not secretive since the film shows how well-known he is. I usually like showing and not telling, but the film only showed what the family thought was important, the cooking and the serving, but dropped the ball by not showing the business side such as dealing with the government, suppliers and investors.
When Flynn does have a rough night, it is hard to distinguish it from a good one except that he begins to lose his cool, and his mom natters on about his horoscope. We get told that people are not getting the food and are annoyed, but no angry customers appear on screen. If the chef’s mom came to me during dinner, a camera needs to be there to capture my face straining to remain polite and suppress my rage. I am not asking for “Hell’s Kitchen,” but some authentic, expressive human emotion. There are no supporting actors in this story, just a mom and a boy. The film needed more.
When “Chef Flynn” ends with him getting a restaurant and an apartment in New York City without explaining how he can do this without adult supervision, it explains why there are so many haters. Opening a restaurant anywhere is hard, and most chefs cannot get one until they have paid their dues. If he has the money, there is nothing wrong with that. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. If his investors are family and friends, he will not be the first chef with that advantage, but he is underage and living in a major city by himself. Most kitchens are raucous and ribald. I understand that he is more mature than the average boy, but he is still a kid. He needs adult supervision, and the film omits showing Flynn’s safety net. My mom gasped when she heard people cursing around him, which did not have me clutching my pearls. Kitchens are a lot more adult than profanity.
Also in early home videos, Flynn is shown cooking with kids his age, but as he becomes successful, only adults surround him. Does he have any age-appropriate friends? Why did his classmates turn against him? I was a focused, old soul who had bullies so I know how important these issues are and should not be brushed over. I can also make educated guesses, but unlike adults in documentaries, it feels inappropriate to do so with a child. His mom assented to his request to home school so he could focus on cooking and avoid bullying. He is only shown working. Why is not anyone worried about a kid working nonstop or do child labor laws not apply as well? Where are his friends? Because after service, he cannot go out drinking at bars with his coworkers. If “Chef Flynn” made a choice to keep his private life off screen, that decision should have been explicit. I do not want a depressing sequel. Is he a product or a person? A life is more than work.
“Chef Flynn” was disappointing and dragged. It was an incomplete portrait of a kid without the necessary context about his life and contrasting it with the traditional path of becoming a chef and a restaurant owner. Without it, I do not know if he is a genius or a “gifted” kid. There is a difference. By now, he is an adult, and I wish him nothing but the best.
