Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
TV-G | 16 January 2005 (USA)

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  • Reviews
    Karry Best movie of this year hands down!
    Dorathen Better Late Then Never
    Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.
    Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
    manuela-pop-am it's too bad that it has to be such a male dominated, ego driven and sexist show. have you noticed that a woman will rarely win against an iron chef?? have you also noticed that the panel has only one woman judge and two men?? no wonder the men iron chef always win. also, have you noticed how many women iron chef are out there??? I so wonder about this show and the food industry... just like another male dominating industry, men grabbed the power and will never give it to women. but in reality, women cook at home in almost every family, so you tell me how come men are always on top in iron chef and top chef shows...? the answer is simple, it's a sexist field.
    bluegreenbluegreen It lacks the ironic humor of the original. The Japanese were having fun with the idea of cooking as competition... and playing it straight.. the result was utterly delightful. The Americans are humorlessly playing for keeps- it's pathetic. There was a subtlety and a beauty to the photography, the commentary... and yes, the English translation in accented voice was delicious, too.Alton is, sadly, a bit much, ...Oh, but I miss the hushed excitement of the Japanese commentators, and the shy, sensuous confessions of the female panelist- "I really liked it!" and the worldly, companionable bantering of the more substantial male panelist.. and the delicate, precise wording of the author-panelist... and the delightful mythos built around the person of the chairman and his "kitchen stadium". Also, come to think of it, the dignity they gave the challenger by presenting his myth as well.
    einezcrespo The real stars in this version is the food. I never cared much for Bobby Flay or Mario Batali. What is annoying is the mainstays seem to win most of the time! Are there other chefs who can participate other then Flay, Batali and Cat Cora? Are some of the judges for real?? I mean the challengers are top class chefs and they get beaten by Food Network celebrities?? Pathetic! It's a gross example of this thing called BIAS. However I do get a kick of finding out what the secret ingredients are and how and what will be the results. That is why I watch the show. It's the challenge of creating dishes the everyday people dream of eating in only one hour. As for the supporting characters are they OK but Mark Dacascos sometimes look like he's buttering up to the Iron Chefs with comments like "Iron Chef it is an honor seeing you work." This show could be better if other chefs not affiliated with the Food Network are given the chance of wearing the mantle of Iron Chef from time to time and the judges be more fair otherwise Iron Chef: America is nothing more than an ego contest of Food Network mainstays against everyone on the outside. What a pity it will stay that way.
    llpayton-1 Like many imports into American television Iron Chef America is a pathetic shadow of the original. Mark Dacascos, as The Chairman, is the nephew of the Japan's Chairman Kaga but exhibits not a soupcon of the self-mocking humor of his uncle. Dacascos is a lauded martial arts expert but in this context his posturing is hokey in the extreme. Alton Brown, though interesting on Good Eats, as sole commentator for Iron Chef America is boring as is the roving reporter. The two commentators, Kenji Fukui and Yukio Hattori, along with the guest commentators/judges are key to the original show's appeal. The snappy rapport of Fukuisan, Doc, and many of the frequent guests entertains as they make astute observations, lame jokes, and bicker affably. The Japanese Iron Chefs are entertaining, have engaging personalities, and actually take a hand in the cooking of every dish themselves. Yes, they have assistants but that is just what they do, assist, not the preparation of entire dishes. As for the American impostors, Flay displays symptoms of smugness and arrogance and Batalli is sweet but unappealing. Morimoto is still a great Iron Chef but he should have followed Wolfgang Puck's lead and gotten out of this debacle while he still had his dignity. I understand that in a restaurant preparing the food is not their role but this is a cooking competition and every dish should be basically prepared by the chef, but these American Iron Chefs do not even take a hand in many of the dishes which are expertly prepared by their talented pastry chefs, sous-chefs and/or assistants. These talented underlings and some of the guest competitors are the only redeeming quality this show offers and they do some amazing things. The Japanese judges have relatively unbiased palates and are always polite even as they are voicing their criticisms. They also express themselves beautifully and savor the nuances of the dishes. Food Network should choose judges who have a more cosmopolitan palate. The job of a critic is to be discerning not to be mean-spirited and sarcastic. You can call a spade a spade without calling it a darned old shovel. Brutal honesty is not a virtue I care to see promoted. Much of the personality of the Japanese import must be credited to the actors who performed the voice overs. They must have had a ball in taping as the dialogue is frequently ridiculous, but ridiculously entertaining!