Top Chef Masters consolation

At least Monica Pope annoyed ego chef Master Marcus Samuelsson

Friends and fans alike crowded t'afia on Wednesday night, where Monica Pope turned the last-minute permission from Bravo to hold a screening party into an impromptu fundraiser for Recipe for Success.

No less than three oversize screens turned on Top Chef Masters to a full house, while Monica Pope made the rounds, shaking hands and taking photographs, and guests took advantage of the special all-night happy hour specials.

The show took an immediate turn for the dramatic when the chefs had 20 minutes to create a classic grilled cheese. Pope related on the air that though she lacked the formal training of the other competitors, her secret weapon was seven-year old daughter Lilly, who is quite the fan of grilled cheese.

Well, way to go, Lilly. Pope's version, with feta and farmer cheese with dates on raisin nut bread and herb salad, was declared by host Kelly Choi to be the victor, which seemed to piss off New York's Marcus Samuelsson, who had more than enough ego and swagger to match his impish grin — on the rare occasions that he smiled, that is.

Cheers erupted at t'afia with Monica's victory — literally the entire restaurant went crazy. In the excitement it was impossible to tell if Gracie Cavnar, who had a front row table with husband Bob, had known about the $5,000 that Monica had earned for Recipe for Success. I'm guessing not.

The challenge was to create soul food for actor Mekhi Phifer's birthday party, and in her editorial Monica Pope gave an oblique shout out to The Breakfast Klub, saying that her restaurant is next door to a soul food place, and that her cuisine isn't all that different — she just calls it something different.

When Carmen Gonzalez left her dish behind en route to the hotel, Monica, Thierry Rautureau and David Burke offered to give her a helping hand. (Not that it helped, as they ended up burning everything anyways.) The one non-team player? Marcus Samuelsson.

After the party, Gonzalez earned a surprising win for her improvised gumbo concoction. When the judges turned to Pope, they heaped praise on her sauce and sides — the viewing room went nuts — before delivering the bad news that her shrimp were undercooked. All of a sudden, you could hear a pin drop in t'afia.

With Carmen safe, it came down to Monica versus Marcus for the one remaining spot. Monica had three stars, and Marcus would need at least 3.5 stars from the diners to beat her. They gave him 4.5. The power of mac and cheese (and those dimples, sigh) is not to be denied.

After a huge groan of disappointment from viewers, the room erupted into a standing ovation and healthy applause borne of pride. Even without making it to the final round, Monica Pope acquitted herself and her city admirably.

With the fervor of the crowd, I had to replay Monica's emotional final speech later. And how adorable was it? "I know my daughter thinks I'm the best chef in the whole world."

As for Marcus? According to Pope, he said that his victory proved you just have to look out for yourself. (Good thing your adoptive parents didn't have that attitude, eh, Marcus?)

As for us, no matter his talent we'll take one Monica Pope over 10 Marcus Samuelssons any day.

And Pope has announced she'll be serving her almost-winning soul food creation — shrimp and mac 'n' cheese grits — on Thursday for dinner and during her three-course lunch menu on Friday along with her winning grilled cheese.

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Holidays Are Here

Ben Stiller delivers lighthearted fun in new Hulu movie Nutcrackers

Photo courtesy of Nutcracker Productions LLC/Hulu

Ben Stiller, Atlas Janson, Homer Janson, and Ulysses Janson in Nutcrackers.

A holiday-themed comedy seems like just what the doctor ordered right now, and the new Hulu film Nutcrackers steps up with a little mayhem, heartfelt sentiment, and a nod to traditions. But it doesn't add up to a memorable experience.

The film stars Ben Stiller as Mike, a high-powered Chicago architect with little time for anybody but himself whose sister and brother-in-law are recently deceased. He is supposedly there to place his four nephews — Justice (Homer Janson), Simon (Arlo Janson), Steve (Ulysses Janson), and Samuel (Atlas Janson) — into foster care. But social worker Gretchen (Linda Cardellini) informs Mike that the foster family has fallen through, and he needs to act as guardian until she can find someone else.

Whether they’re still reeling from their parents’ deaths or are just wild in general, the kids prove to be more than a handful for Mike, who always has one eye on the door, hoping to get back to his own life as soon as possible. But the longer he’s forced to stay, the more the kids grow on him, especially when he learns that at least two of them were students at their mom’s dance studio, giving him an idea to stage a version of a certain holiday classic.

Directed by David Gordon Green and written by Leland Douglas, the film would seem to have all the elements that make a holiday film memorable, but the vibe is off right from the start. First of all, the audience is thrown right into the mix along with Mike, with barely any introduction to the main characters. As their backstories are mostly missing, it’s difficult to feel anything — good or bad — about Mike or the kids, and so they just kind of co-exist for the first act of the film.

Green and Douglas can also never decide what kind of people they want the kids to be. The film starts with a scene of them sneaking into an amusement park and causing havoc, and subsequent scenes make it seem like they’re supposed to be hellions. But when the filmmakers start going back-and-forth between them wrecking things and being responsible, down-to-earth kids, the plot thread gets confusing and less interesting.

It’s also perplexing why they would cast Stiller, who’s been known to play straight-laced characters who go off the rails on many occasions, and then not let him do what he does best. Even when confronted with some of the kids’ worst behavior, Mike keeps his reactions in check, which may be good for a real-life uncle, but makes for a less-than-entertaining holiday family film.

Stiller still lives up to his star-billing at times, but the arc of his character is not that inspiring, even when a slight romance starts to bloom between Mike and Gretchen. The Janson brothers, who are making their collective film debut, are fun at times, but their lack of experience shows in their unpolished performances. Cardellini is a nice presence, but she’s not given enough to do to make a big impact.

Nutcrackers is an inoffensive movie in that it’s not so terrible that there’s no way to actually finish it. But there’s little in its story, characters, or attempt to be a holiday movie that can be recommended as a fun family watch, so it’s likely to fade away into streamer oblivion.

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Nutcrackers is now streaming on Hulu.

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