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The Kitchen
Director: Andrea Berloff
Starring: Tiffany Haddish, Melissa McCarthy, Elisabeth Moss
2/5
I’m writing this from the perspective of someone who has long been over Hollywood gangster movies. As far as I’m concerned, there isn’t any new jingle to add to the jazz of mob boss story lines.
Andrea Berloff’s directorial debut,The Kitchen, is sprinkled with 70s crime classic references such as The Godfather and Mean Streets, but despite being a tale of women empowerment it still feels old.
In The Kitchen, wives Kathy (Melissa McCarthy), Ruby (Tiffany Haddish) and Claire (Elisabeth Moss) must take control of their husbands’ mafia businesses after the latter are sent to prison. They promptly kill their business rivals and start paying more attention to local business owners seeking their protection.
The Kitchen has a score of just 21% on Rotten Tomatoes and has been called out for having a lot of stereotypes, a chaotic tone and editing style, and poor characterisation that’s wasted on the talented cast.
Don’t be surprised when you get the feeling that each of the leads seems to be the star of her own completely different film.
One thing that the film should be praised for is its bold choice in bad-ass ladies. But be warned, not even these A-list actors could stop it from being a disaster.
And if you’re looking for something light or some comedic gems from leading funny women McCarthy and Haddish, you’re going to be let down.
This time they mean serious business.
I would say that sadly The Kitchen can be considered a career low for talented Haddish and McCarthy. It’s an unsalvageable mess.
