The Bear Review: Series By FX Starring Jeremy Allen White Coming To Disney+ From October 5th
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce
Director: Christopher Storer
Streaming Platform: Disney+ and FX
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 4.5/5 (four and a half star) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
When you think that the games, the best products of the year in the serial field, are now done, here comes one of those jewels that makes you roll your eyes and that in a handful of episodes makes you understand in total ecstasy of being in front of you to an extraordinary product. And that’s exactly what you’ll experience from October 5th on Disney+ and with this The Bear review we will also try to make you understand why! The Bear is a very interesting product, short (although already renewed for a second season) and complex. It is one of those examples of seriality where a fundamental element is striking: the writing. Yes, because the TV series created by Christopher Storer for FX now finally arrived in Italy on Disney+, is a product whose writing is solid, rigorous, extremely convincing, and bombproof.
Each element is perfectly sown and structured, to find it along the way, playing with the theme of everyday life, of redundancy that instead of boring makes the spectator even more involved in a work routine that, after all, he shares. Fully empathize with this out-of-the-box group of men and women stuck in a few square feet of a Chicago American diner standing almost by mistake; yet, the more time passes, the more each element goes to such a point that the pillars of that place on a human level are precisely those faces, those crumpled aprons, those tired looks, that desire for revenge and a sense of family that animates the fire of each of those bodies. And if the impression you might get at the beginning is: but where is the development arc? Do these characters evolve? Do they change? Yes, and they do it slowly, just like in real life. They go on, they make mistakes, they change, they learn. And then they suffer, they love, they get pissed (oh, if they get pissed), they live. They live with all the pros and cons of this existence.
The Bear Review: The Story
Let’s begin to get to the heart of this review of The Bear, obviously starting from its plot. History could never be simpler and, probably, effective for this very reason. Carmen ‘Carmy’ Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White, Shameless’s “Lip”) is a brilliant young chef who has traveled the world training in the most prestigious kitchens. A real out-of-the-class restaurant. At the height of his career, terrible and shocking mourning, the suicide of his elder brother, forced Carmy to return home, to Chicago, to take over the family’s Italian sandwich shop, “The Original Beef of Chicagoland”. From starry kitchens to a dilapidated place with an undisciplined staff, completely self-managed and left to itself. Not the best cooking level and clientele … to make your hair come white. To all this must be added a load of ninety no less: debts and ghosts.
As absurd as it may seem, and at first it was something absurd to leave such a prestigious job to lock up in a tavern surrounded by seeming yokels, Carmy’s dream has always been to work there. Next to his brother. Bringing the tradition of their family to lunch and dinner. There is a deep and visceral feeling that binds Carmy to that place, even if the premises are not the best and the signs of the universe do nothing but shout at him to let go, sell everything, go back to the stars because try your hand at managing a small business like that seems like a crazy project.
The feeling of guilt, the deep and excruciating pain and even that dream in the drawer, make our Chef determined enough and a bit of a bronze face move on. Overcoming debts, the skepticism of his new staff, the clashes with Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), the de facto manager of the sandwich shop and an old friend of both Carmy and his brother, and the arrival of new valid and enterprising collaborators such as purposeful Sydney (Ayo Edebiri, Dickinson), are the corroborating elements for our protagonist and his epic story in the family kitchen.
The Bear Review and Analysis
The Bear is called a comedy-drama and the fun is somehow not lacking, above all thanks to the many supporting actors or the impetuousness of Richard, Michael’s childhood friend and always at the service of the place … even if in his way. But the more the episodes go on, the more it becomes evident that The Bear does not want to tell only the (many) misadventures in the kitchen of some colleagues. Or the difficulties of running a club in America today. The strength of this show lies precisely in combining the aforementioned themes with something even more important, such as the elaboration of mourning. Or the true meaning of family. And being able to do it without ever straying too far from the fine line between drama and comedy is the real secret of a recipe that many have tried, but in which few can truly call themselves masters.
Also, the real difference between The Bear and other shows with similar themes is the context: using the world of cooking, its frenzied rhythms and the stress that reigns during the service to tell a personal drama is perfectly functional and very intelligent. Taking advantage of the contrast between the world of haute cuisine and that, dirty and rough, of a disastrous local in the suburbs is simply brilliant. And one of the reasons the show works from the start, and it just grows, episode after episode, as the viewer grows awareness of a way, they are unlikely to know. But also, the growth of awareness on the part of the protagonist towards not only himself but also his new colleagues and employees.
Excluding the excellent protagonist Jeremy Allen White (formerly Lip Gallagher in Shameless), the cast of The Bear has no known names. But he can count on many actors and character actors already seen in the past in small roles, but never particularly memorable. We are sure instead that, after this series, we will all learn to know and appreciate more and more the various Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lionel Boyce and Liza Colón-Zayas. As well as guest stars Jon Bernthal, Oliver Platt, Joel McHale and Molly Ringwald. Simply because Christopher Storer’s perfect scripts always manage to make the most of both their performances and the choral character of the series itself.
A perfect example is episode 7, entitled Review, which is very short (less than 20 minutes) but particularly intense: after the first two minutes of the intro (but with the song Chicago by Sufjan Stevens as a good omen), the rest of the episode is nothing more than an incredible and extraordinary 16-minute sequence shot, all set in the kitchen of The Beef. If put like this it may seem a relatively “simple” thing in itself, we would like to remind you that, just like a real kitchen in a restaurant, the space in which it is set is very small, very crowded and above all very chaotic: especially because in these 16 minutes not only do the characters carry on their work in the kitchen, but fight each other in an increasingly ferocious way until an unexpected and emotionally devastating conclusion.
For the courage of the choice (a few days before shooting the episode had to be shot normally, but it was decided, in agreement with all the cast and crew, to try “the impossible), for the realistic and natural performances and the monstrous work of the director and above all of the operator, we have no problem admitting that this is for us the best episode of the year. And probably one of the most beautiful things seen in all this 2022. we have no problem admitting that this is the best episode of the year for us. And probably one of the most beautiful things seen in all this 2022. we have no problem admitting that this is the best episode of the year for us. And probably one of the most beautiful things seen in all this 2022.
But it is in any case with the next episode, the last of the season, that The Bear manages to reach even higher peaks because it is as if it were able to conclude this first part of the journey and give a sense of completeness to its characters: not only to Carmy (and here White is overcome with an intense and touching monologue) but also to the co-star Sydney, whose interpreter Ayo Edebiri represents perhaps the most beautiful surprise of the entire series. It is always in the beautiful ending that we manage to understand two important things: the meaning of the title of the series and how the series will continue with the following seasons. Because yes, The Bear is already confirmed for a second season (but we sincerely hope there will be many more) that promises to be something different and potentially even richer and more interesting.
And yes, The Bear of the title does not refer to that bear that we see in passing in the first dream sequence of the series. Just as it does not refer (only) to the nickname of the protagonist – the Italian surname Berzatto pronounced in the American way is reminiscent of a bear. Do you want to know the real reason for this title? Look through this first season, you certainly won’t regret it. In this sense, writing by The Bear is extremely engaging, profound and even disturbing. It feels a bit like a voyeur, almost too much, in observing each of the characters wiggling in a kitchen too small for such imaginative, problematic, “dark” personalities, organizing new spaces, moving into new roles, respecting the ideas of the others, adapting to a new working methodology, trying to look at everything in perspective, towards a greater, brighter future. This also means dealing with deadlines, with rooms that are too full or too empty, with late or wrong loads. It means dealing with people, clashing and confronting each time. It means compromising one’s pride. Working as a team and not as a single person.
It means to question everything, even oneself, and look in the mirror, face pain, fatigue, and fear. Being open to new ideas, and new challenges, groped, burned, scream, cry and laugh. The further we go into this review of The Bear, the clearer it becomes that this TV series speaks brutally, abruptly, and even crudely about human beings, writing about characters that we could meet tomorrow on the street, we might even know, it could be us.
And be careful, because we are not talking about “sloppy” writing that is lost in the chatter, in useless details or in long and exhausting explanations. No! It is precise, dry, merciless. Just like the weather in a kitchen. And if you’re not after it, it’s your problem. The series, in its syncopated writing and direction, speaks precisely of this, it represents this feeling of breathlessness dictated primarily by the working environment and then my feelings. The ghost of an oppressive brother who is never present but at the same time always is, suffocating. It is found in the details, in the memories, in the jars of gravy, in the debts. In everything, Michael returns and Carmy must contend with this. His character must develop about this, inevitably influencing everyone around him. And in a very particular way, Carmy’s precarious mental health becomes that of others, his addiction is that of others, even his grief his inadequacy of him.
And the wonderful thing is that everything is entrusted to the dialogues. No recap, description, bla bla useless. Pure interaction. Action, reaction and consequence. All shown. All lived and consumed in everyday life, ending up reflecting on the same viewer, episode after episode. A textbook script but dense and full of heart. The penultimate episode? POETRY! Having concluded the review of The Bear, the time has come to give credit to the incredible cast of interpreters of this series, first of all, our chef Carmy, or Jeremy Allen White. Oh yes, we knew that this guy was good from the days of Shameless with his Lip, but here we are far beyond his skill.
A total, complete, almost morbid immersion with a character who becomes Jeremy Allen White’s second skin. His performance is full of dark, violent, dangerous feelings and yet his heart is immense. A good person like perhaps few exists in the world. An extremely fragile boy, but of that fragility that is not extreme, spectacularized but authentic, realistic. A series where coughing machismo is a distant memory and people, regardless of their sex, suffer, suffer a lot. They are fragile. They are angry. They are hungry for life, love and also for passion. Carmy almost seems like a character, a bit like everyone else, destined not to evolve. And now you are wondering if he is normal or not that a character does not have a developmental arc. No, he is not normal. In reality, The Bear there is and is above all in the character of Carmy, but it is slow, gradual, and well distributed throughout the eight perfect episodes of this first and incredible season.
One piece at a time. A step at a time. It is that typical transformation of the routine. Diluted. Almost imperceptible. Yet there is. And just as it is in Carmy there is also in Richie, in Sydney, in all the staff and even at The Beef. And exactly as Allen gets naked in front of the camera with his Carmy, in the same way, but responding to the rules of his character do Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri, both perfect shoulders and at the same time protagonists of the story. Richie / Ebon and the false cynicism of him hiding a wounded and frightened man, father, and friend, Sydney / Ayo and her resourcefulness and eagerness to do everything and immediately hiding a girl who is too afraid to give up or wake up and have to give up on her dream.
Characters who almost complement each other, contrast with each other, scream at each other, and support each other but one never obscures the other. Each puzzle piece is balanced, well placed and structured for a greater purpose. And the acting of these performers aims exactly at this: not to cannibalize anyone but with the ultimate goal, among all the classic daily problems, to give life to a large and (nice) little chaotic family. You will want to be part of it right away!
The Bear Review: The Last Words
The Bear is one of the best products of the year. A series with rigorous, precise writing and syncopated direction that leads to the hectic life of those who work behind the stove of an American diner, led by a chef divided between work and feeling. Not the classic romanticization but a brutal representation, where the interaction between human beings dictates the rhythm. Perfect in every aspect and with final peaks to make you shiver! The Bear is truly a revelation: with only 8 episodes, moreover lasting about half an hour, it manages to catapult us into a “real” family restaurant, precisely for this reason full of problems but also of special affections. Excellent from the beginning for writing and acting, it is an emotional but also technical crescendo thanks to the seventh episode being completely in sequence. Unquestionably among the best things seen in 2022.
