A totally enjoyable movie if you can suspend disbelief: Chef

Though it breaks no new cinematic ground, Jon Favreau's Chef is a totally enjoyable movie - could even be a family movie, depending on family's tolerance for occasional language outbursts and a scene or two of smoking. Chef is in the long tradition of the "let's put on a how" movie: star chef (Favreau who wrote, diected, and starts) working an an LA restaurant where the owner (Dustin Hoffman, a not fully convincing heavy) insists on a traditional menu (this is the plot device that gets it moving - you have to just accept it) gets a lousy review from an aggressive online restaurant critic (Oliver Platt, under-used as the nemesis) and goes into a tailspin - but recovers his bearings, and builds loving relationship with young son (10 or so?), when he decides to go to Miami, start a Cuban food truck, and road-trip it back to LA (road-trip bonding is another movie trope, from Easy Rider to Miss Sunshine, with many in between). Add this to the list of many restaurant movies: Big Night, that ridiculous movie with Adam Sandler as a completely non-believable chef, East Drink Man Woman (four star!), Ratatouille  ... anyway, as noted, nothing much original here - yet it's a very charming film nevertheless, really seems to capture the behind the scenes style and ethos. The young actor playing Favreaus's son is excellent, by the way, and though I had trouble believing that it would be OK or even legal to put him to work in a food truck, I was very pleased that Favreau avoided a hoary movie cliche and had the son be a nice kid right from the outset - rather than a moody or troubled kid or young adult who "recovers" and becomes a dutiful and loving son (or daughter, cf Greek Wedding, for another restaurant as reform agent movie). The Cuban soundtrack music is terrific, it's always fun to watch expert chefs at work in the kitchen and at home, the dialogue is spry and credible, and if you can just suspend disbelief and accept a happy ending in which everyone holds hands and sings Kumbaya (figuratively), this movie is entirely pleasant and enjoyable.