Title: The Kitchen
Release Date: August 9th, 2019
Studio: Warner Bros.
Director: Andrea Berloff
Release Format: Theatrical
The Kitchen is an amusing watch that gets away with a lot that other films would be ripped apart for. These deceivingly ruthless wives will have you second-guessing what your partner is capable of.
The film is based on the graphic novel where wives must take over for their imprisoned mobster husbands. They quickly learn about the grimy 70s crime world, gathering more dirt and cash under their nails than anyone expected. You find yourself rooting for these women from different backgrounds and their reasons for becoming criminals. But, they all do some wild things later in the movie that makes you question if they should be locked up with their husbands.
The film has a really fast pace, like blink at the opening and you’ll find yourself at the credits fast. It feels like important details are skipped over as a result. However, there are some twists that’ll make you raise an eyebrow and others that’ll have both brows flying off your face.
Realest Housewives of New York
Our main leads come from various backgrounds and want different things in life. Claire (Elisabeth Moss) is constantly terrorized by her husband and the community. She wants to leave the city and find love. Kathy (Melissa McCarthy) wants to provide for her children. Meanwhile, Ruby (Tiffany Haddish) wants it all. Haddish plays sassy and blunt, being a driving force of the film. The actresses bring their own blend of comedy that helps to break up some tough scenes.
Domhnall Gleeson is a standout in this film as a hitman that has a couple of screws loose. He provides some great dark humor and The Kitchen’s most intimate moments. He is a blast, always a ticking timebomb. Every scene he’s in, you can see him fighting the urge to wipe out the room of friends and foes alike. I can’t wait to see him in more projects after this one. Gleeson just oozes charisma.
However, the acting is uneven from the main cast. Sometimes they give good performances. However, some scenes can seem taken from the blooper reel.
The film has two different tones of being a comedy and a drama and you never know what it’s trying to be. Maybe it’s a satire because there’s a lot of non-sensical things you have to shrug through.
The store owners paying protection money are now happy to pay the women protection money because they do it with a smile? The wives start stealing the mob’s clients and are surprised when hits are out on them. They are the surprised Pikachu meme personified.
Where Does The Time Go
There is good material here, except that it is delivered in a clumsy manner throughout. Characters pop up out of nowhere, acting like they’ve been there the whole time. Then, they get a line of dialogue saying who they are and why they are there.
The Kitchen rushes to the ending like it’s someone super late for work. This frantic nature is a mystery considering the abrupt Sopranos ending.
I sat dumb-confused as the stylish credits played because I initially thought “oh, this is a cool new transition to the next scene”. Nope, the movie might as well have given a “clip not found” error. Everyone in the theater had a similar reaction.
The fast pace feels like it skips over stuff. The film even introduces a new character and doesn’t explain his relation until sometime later. I sympathize with the crew though as I’ve also turned in disorderly last-minute projects too.
A lot of secondary characters are cartoonish or exposition in human form. A random never before seen woman comes up to our three main girls to give them a “you got the juice now” moment. This unnecessary exposition compiled with stating what women in power means just beat me over the head worse than Rodney King.
Single Ladies Put Your Hands Up
Verdict: The Kitchen has the ingredients to be a very good film, if only it wasn’t made so amateurish. The choppy cuts and schizophrenic pacing only highlight the mediocre dialogue. Overall, I liked it in the way you like “that coworker”. They are fine for a decent conversation at work but you’ll never hang with them outside work. I probably won’t have the urge to check this out again, but it could make a decent watch with friends. Just don’t expect the Godfather going in.
What’s the mobster film of all time? What other comic adaptations do you want to see on the big screen? Name another film with good content but has poor execution. Leave your comments!
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