
A Souffle of Suspicion
Book
The buoyant mood at Bistro Rousseau deflates when Chef Camille’s sister, Renee, turns up dead in...

The Cook and the Gangster (Farthingdale Ranch #5) by Jackie North
Book
“Time cannot erase the love I feel for you, my friend.” Levi has worked very hard to find a...
Contemporary MM Romance

Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Kitchen (2019) in Movies
Sep 24, 2019
The Kitchen is based on comics released by DC Vertigo and is set in ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, New York during the 1970’s and focus’ on the lives of the wives of an Irish/American mob and their struggle to maintain a basic life style once their husbands have been arrested. Each of the women have a different type of relationship with their husbands; Kathy is in a seemingly normal, loving relationship, Claire is in an abusive relationship and Ruby is in a mixed marriage which is looked down on by alto for the other characters. One of the threads of the film is how each woman reacts to their husbands being away and what will happen when they return.
First off, this is not a comedy, I have seen some reviews where people seem to have been expecting a few laughs, mainly because of the casting of Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish. The Kitchen has violence, abuse, attempted rape, bad language, lots of guns, prostitutes and shootings but no humour. I think there was only one time anyone laughed (in the cinema audience) and that was when the characters were being shown how to dispose of a dead body.
I have to say that this is a good, well written female lead film, the premise is not forced and there is a reason the characters are female and in a situation that women would not normally be in, especially for the time it is set. Even though the characters are slightly stereotyped (The beaten woman trying to get stronger, the loving wife trying to keep things together) they are not turned into a joke or overly exaggerated and is a big step up from the Ghostbuster’s remake which also had McCarthy as part of an all-female team. Like Ghostbusters there is also a male character who helps the team, Gabriel, but the Kitchen avoids turning him into a joke unlike Chris Hemsworth in ghostbusters.
It could be said that the way the male characters are portrayed is bad, most of them are either thugs, stupid or crazy but this not due to any kind of feminism agenda but is a slightly stereotyped view of how a segment of people were seen, most of the people they deal with are the Irish/American mobsters. This is also shown by the Italians; they are not portrayed in the same way.
I do get the feeling that The Kitchen will be remembered more for scenes and its characters than for the overall movie as there are some bits that seem to drag but, overall it is a film worth watching.

The Breakdown
Book
If you can't trust yourself, who can you trust? It all started that night in the woods. Cass...

How To Make Jams, Pickles and Preserves
Book
For the a novice this book provides the principles of successful jam making and for the more...

Corkscrews
Book
Although most of us have a corkscrew in the kitchen, we remain largely unaware of the many different...

Thomas Keller recommended My Life in France in Books (curated)

Stitches (2012)
Movie
When a group of children at a party unintentionally cause a birthday clown named Stitches to fall on...
Clown

Healthy crockpot Recipes: Food recipes & cookbook
Food & Drink and Lifestyle
App
Welcome novice cooks to the kitchen and help intermediate and advanced cooks hone their skills and...

Breakfast Recipes: Food recipes & cookbook
Food & Drink and Lifestyle
App
Welcome novice cooks to the kitchen and help intermediate and advanced cooks hone their skills and...