THE KITCHEN MOVIE REVIEW
Everyone’s heard the old saying: if you can’t stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen. I’ll add: if you can’t stand boredom and poor scriptwriting, stay out of the theater and The Kitchen. As much as I wanted this one to be a tasty dish (for many reasons) I have to say someone spit in the secret sauce. The Kitchen Parent Moview Review answers the question about what ages should be ok to see this one.
I haven’t wanted to walk out of a movie in a really long time.
Probably have to go all the way back to Sliver with Sharon Stone because, look, I’m pretty patient and forgiving when it comes to movies.
So around 15-20 minutes in I was surprised to find myself considering doing just that and leaving The Kitchen. For such a promising trailer and talented cast, this movie just doesn’t hold up to the potential.
Table of Contents
About The Kitchen
Three housewives find themselves in financial stress when their mob-connected husbands are sent to prison. With mouths to feed and rent to pay, they decide to take over the collections and protection of the shop owners in 1978 Hell’s Kitchen.
They see an opportunity to step up and unite the area, making the mob’s hold on the neighborhood stronger than ever.
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour 42 minutes
The Kitchen Review
Overall, this movie is just a mess, y’all.
The good is there in the sets, the costuming and the three central actresses. Melissa McCartney, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss are fantastic at times and I was hoping they’d pull something out to bring this whole thing together.
It didn’t happen.
The story tries to show the struggles of working-class women who make some bold moves to do what they must to survive in an attempt to save themselves rather than waiting on men to do it.
But it just doesn’t quite get there.
Time and again the women turn to men to teach them something or to protect them so that lesson doesn’t even come through for us.
Plus the message is that their accomplishment is for the good of the neighborhood – maybe even a community service of sorts?- rather than extortion and threats of violence and murder.
We’re not fooled; you’re still the bad guys!
They never quite picked a lane and nothing felt true in the plot. Character motivations were all over, as was the plot.
I like a good twist, but this one was spotted a mile away and even the actresses couldn’t make it memorable.
Bottom line: it was boring. Just so boring. With two or three moments that maybe elicited a crack of a smile- maybe?
Now the trailer? That was amazing.
So save your money, stay out of The Kitchen, and just watch the trailer. You’re welcome.
When Can You Pee During The Kitchen?
Honestly, this movie was pretty boring with very little that you’ll miss by running to the bathroom during The Kitchen.
But here are the best times to pee if you gotta make it happen!
- When the women start collecting in the neighborhood around 20 minutes in.
- During the first bathtub scene around 35 minutes in.
- After the meeting in Brooklyn around 53 minutes in.
Are There End Credit Scenes in The Kitchen?
Nope.
There are some cool credit visuals, but no stingers or extra scenes to stick around for at the end.
The Kitchen Parent Movie Review
Can the kids see The Kitchen? Should they? This is not very high on the kid-friendly meter!
It is rated R and that’s primarily for violence and blood. There’s a bit of it as any good mob movie will include.
One character, in particular, is a repeat victim of violence including attempted rape.
I don’t recall any nudity but there are sexual discussions and references throughout the movie.
Language: yup. Lots of the F word – again- as any good mob movie will include! The ladies don’t hold back.
The violence is rather graphic and explicit. Gunshots to the head and explanations (with a tutorial!) on how to get rid of bodies are two examples of the levels of violence you’ll see on screen.
I think 17 and up is a pretty solid suggestion for this movie, but I also think the teens in my house would be more bored than anything. I’d steer them toward Crawl or Late Night if I was going to send them off to a rated R flick this summer.
Rating: 5 and that’s because the ladies of The Kitchen are pretty dang good!
Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.