Culinary comedy. Not rated. 1 hour, 31 minutes. At the Chez Artiste.
The story is as familiar as white bread in “Toast,” but the dramedy’s point of view is a fascinating puzzle.
Based on a memoir by British celebrity chef Nigel Slater, “Toast” recalls his childhood with a mother (Victoria Hamilton) whose only kitchen skill was making toast and who died young.
She was succeeded by a flirtatious bawd named Mrs. Potter (Helena Bonham Carter), who has duck a l’oranged her way into the heart of Nigel’s grieving dad. The film’s depiction of the characters, other than the mom, is exaggerated, so it’s clear “Toast” is the adult Slater looking back on his childhood and his version of events is more than a little skewed.
The movie’s Mrs. Potter seems to have picked up child-rearing tips from W.C. Fields and her name from “Sweeney Todd,” but Carter has loads of fun diving into her two-faced treachery.
It’s possible “Toast” likes the idea of us not being sure whether Mrs. Potter is an evil crone or a well-meaning woman who wasn’t quite as bad as Nigel makes her out.
The tone of the movie is all over the place, possibly to underscore the contrast between Nigel’s two “mothers.” (Hamilton, as his real mom, gives a performance of heartbreaking purity.)
At its end, you could argue that what “Toast” wants to show us is that the “real” Slater remains uncertain who he is.
