Read Mixed User Reviews for The Kitchen (2019)

4

MarkHReviewsSep 4, 2019

The storyline for “The Kitchen” has all the subtle nuance of a comic book. Oh wait: that actually is the source material for this misbegotten enterprise.

That’s a pity, because the cast deserves so much better. As Kathy, Melissa McCarthyThe storyline for “The Kitchen” has all the subtle nuance of a comic book. Oh wait: that actually is the source material for this misbegotten enterprise.

That’s a pity, because the cast deserves so much better. As Kathy, Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids,” “The Heat”) continues her trend toward meaty, non-comedic roles (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”). Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip”) shows acting chops never previously required in films like “Night School.” From her time on “Mad Men” to her current role in “The Handmaid’s Tale,” Elisabeth Moss is well-established as an actor of real substance. Even in this venture, she does not disappoint. Ironically, though, it’s Margo Martindale (most recently, “Sneaky Pete”) who basically steals the show.

Apparently, this film aspires to be a story about female empowerment. After their husbands are sent to prison following a botched robbery, McCarthy, Haddish and Moss realize that they must do something to ensure their own economic survival. That something turns out to be taking over the protection racket in Hell’s Kitchen circa 1978. Why didn’t they think of that before? In fairness, there are a few interesting, funny, poignant scenes as the women muscle out their male competitors. However, the woman power theme flounders for four reasons. First, this trio can succeed only at the expense of another woman (Martindale), the matriarch of the Irish mob that runs Hell’s Kitchen. Second, once they are in power, these women prove themselves fully as ruthless, conniving, selfish and self-absorbed as the males they have replaced. Third, rather than showing the solidarity one might presume from women consistently oppressed and marginalized by the conventional social structure, these three women turn on each other at first opportunity. Finally, these “empowered” women show a stunning reliance on males for most of the literal and metaphorical heavy lifting.

This movie might be more fully worthwhile if the screen faded to black, the dialogue was removed and audiences simply sat and listened to the fabulous soundtrack from the 1970s. Etta James, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Foghat, Heart and even Tommy Dorsey are enlisted to break up the tedium. Buy the soundtrack, skip the movie.

This “Kitchen” offers little spice and only superficial flavoring. You won’t require a stomach pump, but this film makes Chipotle seem like fine dining.… Expand

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4

Mauro_LanariJan 15, 2020

(Mauro Lanari)
After "Widows" (McQueen, 2018), another crime movie of the #metoo era, a new subgenre that will mark the annals of cinematography for the massive unsolicited effort to show us how much the female universe can be just as violent(Mauro Lanari)
After "Widows" (McQueen, 2018), another crime movie of the #metoo era, a new subgenre that will mark the annals of cinematography for the massive unsolicited effort to show us how much the female universe can be just as violent and amoral than the male one. A different category from Lady Macbeth, from to the noirs with the dark lady or the femme fatale, from "G.I. Jane" (R. Scott, 1997), since in these new cases, matriarchy, sisterhood, solidarity and support of group, movement, pack among dominant women take over. Enjoy the wave of these emerging Martine Scorsese.… Expand

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4

MarshallCavalliAug 15, 2019

Wow. Wow... This is bad. Really bad.

The writing is bland, characters make ridiculous choices and editing is incoherent. Elisabeth Moss is the highlight of the film while both Mellisa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish are struggling to make anWow. Wow... This is bad. Really bad.

The writing is bland, characters make ridiculous choices and editing is incoherent. Elisabeth Moss is the highlight of the film while both Mellisa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish are struggling to make an impact in a film. The pacing is sloppy, when it should be precise. There is a twist so silly it couldn't convince me that this was good. This also commits the crime that it makes me not want to read the comic that this film is based off of.

Overall, The Kitchen is a milktoast, uneventful and disappointing adaptation largely undone by a lack of subtlety. It's other elements try to convey something other than bad, but can't bring themselves up to the task.

Just don't watch it.… Expand

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4

LDavidsonFeb 21, 2020

Wow! A great movie! Strong women, and some men who respect them! Rare, oh so rare! I applaud everyone involved in this movie. Took me awhile to get to see it, but I am proud that I did. Sadly I’m not surprised that strong women haven’t beenWow! A great movie! Strong women, and some men who respect them! Rare, oh so rare! I applaud everyone involved in this movie. Took me awhile to get to see it, but I am proud that I did. Sadly I’m not surprised that strong women haven’t been applauded as they deserved. Admittedly I am not a big fan of Melissa McCarthy but I love this movie. Her character is smart and strong when she needs to be. And hats off to Gabriel as well as the Italian Mob boss who respected the women as the strong individuals they were. Wahoo! I’ll be watching it again, and again. So great seeing women stepping up.… Expand

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5

GreatMartinAug 9, 2019

The main reason for seeing "The Kitchen" is if you really like the 3 actresses who star in the film. The one who impressed me the most was Elisabeth Moss who I have seen now and then but not her acclaimed "The Handmaiden's Tale". Here, as theThe main reason for seeing "The Kitchen" is if you really like the 3 actresses who star in the film. The one who impressed me the most was Elisabeth Moss who I have seen now and then but not her acclaimed "The Handmaiden's Tale". Here, as the abused wife of a gangster, she has the best arc in the film and does an excellent job.

I like Melissa McCarthy but have sort of rationed myself in the work I have seen her in. I love her appearances on Saturday Night Live, have watched and enjoyed a few of her "Mike and Molly" television episodes. I became aware of her first in "The Gilmore Girls" and thought she did a riveting portrait of Lee Israel in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" and was a standout in "St. Vincent". I, generally, skip movies she is in that has been written and/or directed by her husband.

I can understand the third lead, Tiffany Haddish, making as many movies as she can, doing television shows and specials in what seems every week as she came on the screen, quickly becoming the 'flavor of the month' and was everywhere and annoying me with her loud, brash, cursing, blue comments so I started avoiding her. I must admit she does good work here and you can see her potential as a serious actress who can be subdued when needed to be and can sustain a believable character.

The film about 3 women who take over their husband's 'gangster' business, offering protection in the Hell's Kitchen area of New York city when they are sentenced to jail is sort of far fetched but does include a lot of the violence that would come with the job.

Talking about the violence, aside from showing the occasional shooting, it was different in today's cinema world whereas like in the old days it was indicated instead of being shown though I am still wondering why there were laughs during the explanation of cutting up a body in a bathtub, showing knives and blood, to get rid of it!

The director/screenwriter Andrea Berloff did a good job sort of taming McCarthy and Haddish while offering the three strong actresses a male supporting cast who aren't blown away in their scenes with the women. Surprisingly Margo Martindale, having a one note role doesn't impress as usual.

"The Kitchen" isn't as funny or as dramatic as it should be but for a rainy afternoon in Fort Lauderdale it is a good way of staying dry.

Just a note: though the movie takes place in the last 1970s and the cars, clothes and building facades all are realistic the scene of 42nd Street between 7th & 8th Avenues with all the movie marquees does not have the Lyric theatre where I had one of my first jobs (in the 1950s)! :O)… Expand

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6

RalfbergsOct 21, 2020

It was watchable and I didnt think like it is boring or anything, but the story itself seemed quite simple. And even some of the twists it did have seemed rushed and like without substance. Also felt at times a bit unrealistic, but overallIt was watchable and I didnt think like it is boring or anything, but the story itself seemed quite simple. And even some of the twists it did have seemed rushed and like without substance. Also felt at times a bit unrealistic, but overall not that bad as some say here.… Expand

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6

TVJerryAug 16, 2019

Since Melissa McCarthy & Tiffany Haddish are known for their comedy, you might expect a fun look at gangster life. You'd be mistaken. This is a serious story about 3 women who start running their Hell's Kitchen branch of the Irish mob afterSince Melissa McCarthy & Tiffany Haddish are known for their comedy, you might expect a fun look at gangster life. You'd be mistaken. This is a serious story about 3 women who start running their Hell's Kitchen branch of the Irish mob after their husbands are jailed. All of the actors are strong, but it's actually, the 3rd star (Elisabeth Moss) who turns in the most compelling performance (along with the always wonderful Margo Martindale in a supporting role). The story follows typical gangster guidelines, but the machinations seem too simplified for such a complex situation. While it's never boring, the bland direction by first timer Andrea Berloff renders the it rather tame (even with a few acts of mild violence). A bit of humor would have made the dramatic moments more effective. See it for the women in the leads, but don’t expect a memorable mobster drama.… Expand

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4

JazGalaxyAug 13, 2019

The Kitchen is a mess. A mess, in cooking, could be defined as perfectly good ingredients combined so artlessly and unskillfully, without any plan or care, that the end result has no discernible flavor and betrays the integrity of itsThe Kitchen is a mess. A mess, in cooking, could be defined as perfectly good ingredients combined so artlessly and unskillfully, without any plan or care, that the end result has no discernible flavor and betrays the integrity of its components. The kitchen is mostly well acted, well intentioned and well shot. But it’s direction and editing is SO unskilled that it’s hard to understand what the film is even ABOUT. It’s structure is so sloppy that at times I found myself feeling as though I was watching a foreign film from some country I’d never heard of. At several points in the film, characters just... walk away in the middle of a scene. It’s plays out like a socially awkward friend who doesn’t know to excuse themselves when they choose to go elsewhere. In one scene even the other characters are like, “what? Did she just leave?!” The film is FULL of such bizarre content. A few vignette scenes interspliced between sequences are SO bizarre that i STILL don’t understand them, like a random scene where one character secretly watches two other characters have sex. It’s not explained one iota in the film and actually sent me to the Graphic Novel source material to try to sort it out.

The film also cannot decide if it wants to be funny. Some dark comedies will juxtapose humor with graphic violence and deep emotion. The Kitchen tries to do all of these things in the same SCENE. In the end, the kitchen is a nihilistic power fantasy for feminists who don’t realize that this film would have been far more feminist, and a better work of art, if it had dropped the childish feminist charicatures and plot contrivances.
It’s also with noting that a big problem of the graphic novel and the movie both is that the collective writers don’t seem to know a whole lot about how organized crime actually runs. It visibly lacks the authenticity of the major crime films that had contributions by people actually involved in the life,… Expand

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5

tropicAcesAug 30, 2019

Like, it’s fine. Solid in spurts. Narratively it is both a mess and breaks no new ground, but the 1970s production design had digging the vibes. A solid-enough rainy afternoon watch.

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4

Stream2BigScreeJan 28, 2020

The Kitchen: Hot and Fresh or big mess?

We want to welcome you back to Stream to Big Screen. This week we were able to screen a new release, The Kitchen, with a star-studded cast featuring Tiffany Haddish as Ruby O’Carroll, Melissa McCarthyThe Kitchen: Hot and Fresh or big mess?

We want to welcome you back to Stream to Big Screen. This week we were able to screen a new release, The Kitchen, with a star-studded cast featuring Tiffany Haddish as Ruby O’Carroll, Melissa McCarthy as Kathy Brennan and Elisabeth Moss as Claire Walsh. Apparently, this movie is based off of a DC Vertigo Comics series of the same name.

The movie is set in the late 1970s smack in the middle of New York City. More specifically, the action focuses on the gang/mob relations in Hell’s Kitchen. AH HA, that’s why it’s called The Kitchen. You’re catching on fast. From what I can tell you from the trailer (no spoilers ever and see the trailer below), this movie is about the the occurrences of the three previously mentioned ladies once their husbands go to jail and how they try to take over in their husbands’ place in the Irish mob. Sounds interesting or does it sound exactly like every other starter mob/gangster movie we’ve ever seen? I think the latter. Side note, the trailer for this movie is epic. Sadly, I cannot say the same for the film.

As you saw in the trailer, this movie is dark and tough. Unfortunately, the final product was not able to capture that same grittiness. The movie at times was raw, but, more often than not, the stars were portrayed as too vulnerable even at the moments they should’ve been their toughest. I’m not sure if that was poor acting or poor directing. Overall, I think each lady portrayed their characters well, but, at times, each seemed to rely on what has worked for their previous movie character. Moss was too often Of-Fred instead of Claire Walsh. Haddish made me feel like I was in Night School instead of a 1978-79 mob period piece. Don’t get me started on McCarthy. Nonetheless, each were enjoyable.

Unfortunately, the character arcs of each of these women were the same as every mob movie ever. I was so disappointed in the writers and producers of this movie for the relying on the same old tropes. The film excelled in moving us back into the gritty 1970s aesthetically and mentally. The viewer truly feels like they are walking through the dirty, porn theater full, and crime infested times of NYC. But for some reason the cast seemed as if they were moving independently form the scenery. I felt like I was being told a story that I’ve already seen a million times with a new background scenery but without any depth for these characters.

From the beginning of the movie until the end, I felt either the movie pacing was off /moving too fast or I was missing a story-line or detail that needed to be developed. And what made that worse is that I already knew exactly what was going to happen. The most surprising thing in this movie lacked power because of the writing and directing. A reveal occurs, but if you’ve been paying any attention to the movie, you notice the clues have been blatantly placed throughout the movie. This twist while still good lacked that “knock you on your butt” impact it could have had. On top of that, don’t get me started on the lack of continuity of the ending.

What I will say is, the theme of women’s empowerment is strong in this one; however, I feel the director undercut themselves throughout the movie. Even when they are saying they don’t need male validation, they ultimately were still seeking it or desired it. It made me question the true motives.

Long story short, this was a Netflix or Amazon Prime Original movie at best. Luckily, I did not pay for this movie but I truly wouldn’t suggest investing the money on this movie. I do believe it is worth the watch once it’s hit digital media.

The Stream: Unbelievably predictable at every step of the way.

The Big Screen: Women’s empowerment message and a few good laughs.

The Final Bill: If this were a Netflix Original, this would’ve been worth your time.

-S2S… Expand

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