In The Bear, Christopher Storer makes restaurant work feel urgent without forgetting who has to do it. We recommend his humane, funny television, though repeated confrontations can wear down our patience.
Fi1m perspective
In The Bear (2022), Storer keeps our attention on the people enduring the kitchen’s abuse, not simply on whoever is causing it. This is persuasive, humane television, with an unusually convincing ensemble. We were angry at the mistreatment because the programme made the demands on those workers feel real. Storer and fellow writer and director Joanna Calo understand how easily pressure becomes an excuse for unpleasant behaviour. They allow us to laugh without pretending that the workplace has become any healthier.
His route here began with directing comedy specials, including co-directing Bo Burnham’s what. (2013) and Make Happy (2016). He also directed Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King (2017) and produced Burnham’s Eighth Grade (2018). Work as a director and executive producer on Ramy (2019) came before The Bear, which he created, wrote and directed. The comedy background matters to our view of the kitchen: he recognises that people under pressure can still be funny.
His methods help explain the programme’s restless pace: he favours rapid shooting and few takes to preserve nervous energy. He directs tense ensemble scenes with minimal rehearsal, which suits a workplace where nobody seems able to stop. Costume and production design matter to him because they can inform how an actor moves and understands a character. With Courtney Storer as culinary supervisor, the attention to food preparation gives the kitchen more to do than provide somewhere for arguments.
The difficulty is that Storer and Calo sometimes keep everyone distressed for too long. Repeated friction makes different problems feel alike, and the humour cannot always give a scene enough room to develop. We would gladly spend more time watching this cast without the next argument arriving quite so promptly. The ensemble has already given us enough reason to stay.
Biography
Christopher Storer is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He grew up in Park Ridge, Illinois.
He first gained prominence through collaborations with comedian Bo Burnham, co-directing the comedy specials what. (2013) and Make Happy (2016) and producing the feature film Eighth Grade (2018). He has also directed episodes of Dickinson (2019) and Ramy (2019), and comedy specials including Hasan Minhaj: Homecoming King (2017).
Storer created, co-showruns, writes and directs the comedy-drama series The Bear (2022–), for which he has won four Primetime Emmy Awards. His sister, chef Courtney Storer, serves as culinary supervisor on the series.
