The Kitchen
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): January 19, 2024 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
12
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisJan 18, 2024
The direction, by Kibwe Tavares and Daniel Kaluuya, is sure and unfussy, spinning a warmly humane story of cross-generational connection. Read full review
90
Rolling StoneJack FrancisOct 16, 2023
There is such clarity of vision here, a rare feat from a first-timer, that it feels as though it was crafted by a seasoned pro. The script is tight and full of humanity, never falling into the trap of being too earnest, and blends some genuine comedy with sequences of pathos and heartbreak. Everything feels grounded without an ounce of pretension. Read full review
83
IndieWireSophie Monks KaufmanOct 15, 2023
This is an assured debut that sketches the relationship to state power that the marginalized contend with in London and the world beyond. Too muted in emotional effect to bring home a flirted-with theme of solidarity, the world-building still brings to life in the spirit that animates even the most besieged communities. Read full review
80
Little White LiesRogan GrahamJan 19, 2024
Kaluuya and Tavares are bold in presenting gentrification as the cultural murder that it is while also celebrating, with clear eyes, the regular person who lives on in spite of it. Read full review
80
Total FilmNeil SmithOct 16, 2023
It’s a straightforward morality story at heart, reminiscent at times of A Bronx Tale and with a sagacious neighbourhood DJ (played, rather fabulously, by ex-footballer Ian Wright) cut from the same cloth as Do the Right Thing’s Mister Señor Love Daddy. Yet it is such a stunningly and meticulously designed film that it continually captivates. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 19, 2024
The filmmakers (working from a script by Kaluuya and Joe Murtagh) deftly blend some stunning action sequences with moments of quiet beauty, as when a large contingent from The Kitchen gathers at Life After Life for a memorial service for one of their own. Read full review
75
The PlaylistRodrigo PerezJan 18, 2024
Flawed but still engaging, “The Kitchen,” at least, has good intentions about togetherness and brotherhood and is a promising debut for Kaluuya and Tavares. Read full review
70
Screen DailyNikki BaughanNov 1, 2023
While the subtle world-building may be more consistently impressive than the familiar narrative, The Kitchen nevertheless makes its points with style. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterLeslie FelperinOct 17, 2023
The Kitchen also has plenty of inventive ideas, creates heady atmospheres in both its dark and lighter moments, and features vivid performances with a large ensemble. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comPeyton RobinsonJan 19, 2024
Even with the world-building and direction making for an immersive experience, at times the script gets tangled in its own complexity and “The Kitchen” bites off more than it can chew. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrJan 11, 2024
The Kitchen may lag at times, but it’s an astonishing and fully realized feat for two first-time feature directors with beautifully raw sequences of both emotion and action. Read full review
63
ObserverEmily ZemlerOct 16, 2023
Kaluuya, who grew up on a council estate in Camden, clearly has a personal stake in The Kitchen. The actor has previously written short films, but this marks a solid debut feature for him that is stronger for its adept comment on the British class system. Read full review
60
We Got This CoveredCharlotte SimmonsJan 22, 2024
More a sacrifice bunt than a homerun, 'The Kitchen' is a commendable, if tame, addition to the dystopian sci-fi library that gets by on pure heart. Read full review
60
The Observer (UK)Wendy IdeJan 21, 2024
Robinson and Bannerman are excellent, warily stepping around each other’s expectations and weighing up the cost of allowing themselves to care. Read full review
60
ColliderAidan KelleyJan 19, 2024
Despite solid directing, effects, and production design at various points, The Kitchen doesn't explore its futuristic dystopia nearly as profoundly as it could. Read full review
60
Screen RantNadir SamaraJan 19, 2024
Ultimately, The Kitchen is a film with its heart set on two stories and only succeeds in telling one. Read full review
60
NMEHollie GeraghtyJan 19, 2024
The Kitchen loses some of its potency by balancing too many elements – the world-building, societal context, interpersonal relationships and the paternal bonding that deserves to be the nucleus. Read full review
60
The Irish TimesTara BradyJan 19, 2024
The central father-son plotline feels a little too modest to accommodate Wyatt Garfield’s impressively shot action set pieces, Nathan Parker’s ambitious production design and scathing social commentary, but this remains an impressive and visually innovative directorial debut for the film-makers. Read full review
60
Paste MagazineMatt DonatoJan 18, 2024
Kaluuya and co-writer Joe Murtagh preach a message from the heart, but the inner workings of The Kitchen ring more hollow than the remarkable visuals suggest. Read full review
60
EmpireLou ThomasJan 16, 2024
Not as revolutionary as Children Of Men, nor as wild as Attack The Block, The Kitchen is still solid British sci-fi with a social-realist flavour. An auspicious directorial debut from Tavares and Kaluuya. Read full review
60
VarietyGuy LodgeOct 17, 2023
Even at its shakiest, however, “The Kitchen” gets by on the steam of its own fury, and on its tender depiction of a trampled underclass staving off defeat through small, everyday acts of care and empathy. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyOct 17, 2023
The groundwork is laid here for something potentially high-octane – think La Haine meets Ready Player One – but 20 minutes in, the film enters a holding pattern it never really escapes. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawOct 15, 2023
A worthwhile, engaged film. Read full review
50
Movie NationRoger MooreJan 19, 2024
Kaluuya co-wrote and co-directed the film, which may have nothing to do with its distracted focus and murky messaging. Or that may explain the movie’s failings entirely. Whatever the cause, it makes for a somewhat immersive mixed-bag of a movie, which puts a damper on any temptation to use “promising first film” in describing it. Read full review
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