Filmmaker Billy Corben (Cocaine Cowboys) traces the history of celebrity chef Paula Deen and reconsiders the scandal that exploded her multi-million dollar empire.
Paula Deen was a single mother in her fifties, running a restaurant in Savannah, Georgia with her sons Jamie and Bobby when she was discovered for television in 1999. Her Southern charm, quick wit, and butter-soaked recipes turned her into a culinary megastar. She hosted Food Network shows, appeared with Oprah, published cookbooks, and spun off lucrative franchises. When critics complained her food was unhealthy, she retorted, “I’m your chef, not your doctor.”
In 2013, Deen’s reputation plummeted when an employee filed a lawsuit. The case was thrown out, but in the course of it, she was asked under deposition: had she ever used a racial slur? Her response launched waves of outraged headlines and social media commentary that toppled her business relationships like dominoes.
Filmmaker Billy Corben is no stranger to scandal. Just look at his documentary priors — God Forbid on religious hypocrisy, Screwball on baseball doping, Cocaine Cowboys on drug running — that both entertain and enlighten. You may think you know the story of Paula Deen, but Corben uncovers perspectives and gradations that complicate anyone’s hot take. He conducts extensive interviews with Deen, her sons, her longtime producer Gordon Elliott, and others. One memorable observer is Michael Twitty, a historian of Black American cuisine, who wrote a viral blog post about Deen. He suggests other ways of looking at this case than the most popular ones.
Twelve years after Deen’s downfall, this film explores what it means when we build up celebrities and then tear them down.
THOM POWERS
Screenings
Scotiabank 13
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Scotiabank 11