Tribeca 2021 Review: Wolfgang

Wolfgang (2021) is a biopic about celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck. It was written by Brian McGinn, and directed by David Gelb.

Wolfgang Puck. For years his name has appeared on artisanal frozen pizzas, he has popped up as a celebrity guest chef on any number of cooking shows, he has even been in a variety of TV shows and movies, sometimes playing himself, sometimes in character. But who exactly is Wolfgang Puck? Do any of us really know? How did this celebrity chef earn that status?

If these questions have plagued you like they have me, lo these many years, then I’ve great news for you. Internet streaming service Disney + is releasing Wolfgang on June 25^th of this year. Fortunately, I got a chance to check it out as part of Tribeca 2021, and can fill you in on its worth.

The film covers Puck’s entire career. From the time his was a whipper, suffering abuse at the hands of his stepfather, and discovering his love for food and cooking, to the time he was a full grown man. In other words, today. Through a series of talking head interviews and archival footage, Wolfgang takes the viewer through Puck’s life, and lays out exactly why he is hailed as the world’s first celebrity chef, and someone whose impact on the world of cuisine is still felt today.

Many of the interviews feature Puck himself, relating his own story to us the audience. We also hear from a number of Puck’s co-conspirators, friends, family, and admirers, who add additional color and context to Puck’s autobiographical confessions. His first job in a kitchen, his leaving home, his arrival in Los Angeles, his ascent to become the most famous and noteworthy chef in California, and how he is essentially, the father of “California Cuisine.” If you are a fan of Wolfgang Puck, or the world of celebrity chefs, you will likely have an interest in this film. But how does the film itself stack up? Is it any good?

The short answer is yes. Even though it is only 78 minutes in length, Wolfgang manages to be a thorough and touching look at Puck and his career. Anyone who was ever curious about who this guy was, or what he had done to become so recognizable will have their questions answered by the film’s conclusion. Even those who were not curious but watch the film anyways will likely walk away with a positive opinion of the man and his work.

There is a bit of a caveat, but it isn’t much. While Wolfgang does serve as an effective tribute to his legacy, it is also a bit light and fluffy. There are some darker moments, and some of the adversity Puck has had to face in his life is put on screen here. For connoisseurs of the documentary format, there is a fine line between documentary and commercial. The more one sided a doc tends to be, the less important it comes across as.

This isn’t to say that there are a ton of skeletons in Puck’s closet that the filmmakers failed to air out. Nor am I trying to be the arbiter of what does or does not constitute documentary. I do feel though that a great documentary features the good and the bad. It should present all sides of an issue, and allow the audience to decide for themselves how they should feel. Wolfgang is about as non-confrontational as a documentary can be. It is very safe, will ruffle absolutely no feathers, and viewers of this film won’t walk away with much to consider, other than maybe looking for a Wolfgang Puck pizza in their local grocery store’s freezer section.

And I have no idea what more I would have liked to see from Wolfgang. It’s not like the man’s life and career have been wracked with scandal. He seems like an amazing guy with an indomitable spirit, who nobody could really dislike for any reason. Nevertheless, the film does come off as a little sunny and bright, and more of a commercial than a documentary.

I also did take exception to the film and the way it discusses food and Puck’s influence upon it. One of the talking heads articulates the idea that somehow Wolfgang Puck has changed the way America eats. It then goes on to feature a bunch of footage of his legendary Los Angeles hot spot Spago, and the clientele, both famous and filthy rich, that were climbing over each other’s grandmother’s to get a table. And I’m here thinking to myself “did Wolfgang Puck change the way America eats? Or has Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and the freezer section at Walmart had a more significant impact on the diets of the majority of Americans?”

I don’t know about you, but I live in a town with a lot of broke folks, and people who live close to, if not beneath the poverty line. I don’t see a lot of people eating smoked salmon pizzas with fat globs of caviar on top in my neck of the woods. I see a lot of people riding bikes down the street with a couple of Little Ceasar’s Hot n’ Readys precariously perched on their handlebars. I’m sure it is all a matter of perspective. However, to listen to a rich, Hollywood chef tell me that Wolfgang Puck has had the biggest impact on the way this country eats sounds a little dubious. Maybe in the insular world of the Los Angelean elite, they feel like the whole world is eating smoked salmon pizzas with fat globs of caviar on top. But I got news for ya, that hasn’t been my experience.

But why should we hold all of this against Wolfgang Puck? It’s not as if anything the man has done has advanced poverty in this country. He busted his ass to go from rags to riches, and he has earned that celebrity chef status as a result. I’m just saying that people’s view of the world in which they live is all relative, that’s all. But I digress. Wolfgang is an entertaining, yet safe look at a man who has led an amazing life, built an amazing career for himself, and who is incredibly likable and ebullient. And at a brisk 78 minutes, it is a light and easy watch. Consider yourself forewarned however, you may find yourself getting extremely hungry during the film.