The Kitchen (2019)

Rating 15

Length 1Hr 42

Release 20.9.2019

About Between 8th Ave. and the Hudson River, the Irish mafia runs 20 blocks of a tough New York City neighborhood known as Hell’s Kitchen. But for mob wives Kathy, Ruby and Claire, things are about to take a dramatic and radical turn. When the FBI sends their husbands to prison, the three women take business into their own hands by running the rackets and taking out the competition.

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The Good

• Melissa McCarthy proves to audiences that she’s like some of the best comedians out there: able to bring a dramatic turn to the screen. McCarthy is perfectly cast as a legacy daughter to the mob in Hell’s Kitchen. She’s incredible to watch and you can identify with what she’s trying to achieve.
• McCarthy is not the only one giving a surprising performance. Tiffany Haddish was a chameleon in the Kitchen. Yes, she keeps some of her mouth, but it doesn’t bog the film down like I’ve seen it do in others.
• The soundtrack is, well I’d say it was one of the best if they hadn’t stolen half of Star Lord’s Awesome Mix Vol 1. The songs keep the film’s darkness at bay.

The Bad

• I’m not sure there’s a redeeming character among the main players. Yes, they start their operation to get by, but they all become consumed by it.
• Domhnall Gleeson is meant to be wack-a-doodle. I’m happy to see him in the film, but aside from not flinching when he does the dirty work, there’s nothing about his character that suggests him being an outcast.

The Ugly

• The film’s final act feels very left field. Good storytelling should be layered and allow for you to at least, on a second viewing, see it coming. It wasn’t the case with this film’s attempt at smart cinema.

Final thoughts

It’s gangster lite and a little more mainstream, but in the end it’s plot and dialogue will keep it from being remembered as a mould-breaking ‘classic’