Written by Kiara Co
The Kitchen is another exciting film that was released over the summer, which sees the FBI sending three gangsters to prison and so their wives take business into their own hands by running the rackets and taking out the competition in Hell’s Kitchen during 1978. The film is based on the DC Comic and it stars Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss, and it’s directed by Andrea Burloff.
As mentioned, this looked like an exciting film to see after viewing the trailer and even if you are not familiar with the comic, but unfortunately it wasn’t as exciting. This movie was kind of a disappointment, especially when it was a strong female led movie that was also directed by a woman.
It was somewhat difficult to follow the story, especially if you hadn’t seen the trailer or read a synopsis. The same could be said for the characters as they aren’t introduced to viewers very well. The overall look of the movie felt messy and there were some scenes that felt too long and dragged with it only further complicating scenes. Maybe if the pacing of the story moved faster, it would have been significantly better.
The movie wasn’t boring, but it was also not exciting as one thought it would be. The actresses are very talented and successful, and they did a fairly good job, but it wasn’t very easy to watch. They try to show that they are capable of being strong and they can do anything, but there wasn’t really any action so naturally, they attributes weren’t as evident. All talk and no action. Both Claire Walsh (Elisabeth Moss) and Ruby O’Carroll (Tiffany Haddish) stood out more as at least they did a few things, but unfortunately, Kathy Brennan (Melissa McCarthy) appeared weaker. This was disappointing because the trailer made it seem as though she was the lead and may be the strongest one in the group, but perhaps it was just to draw viewers in. In a way, it wasn’t as surprising due to the recent female led version of Ghostbusters that McCarthy also starred in.
Within the film, there was a scene that was apparently supposed to stand out and be shocking for the audience, but it wasn’t. In this scene, they ask to give or hand in the money with an incredibly bad ass like tone, but it would would have been fantastic if the three women did something a little more action-wise.
The dialogue in the movie felt off as well with it seeming unnatural and it didn’t seem as though they didn’t always have a mission to do. The way each character talked seemed somewhat monotone, which made it incredibly awkward and irritating to hear. Despite that this movie takes place in 1978, The Kitchen didn’t seem like it. It felt incredibly modernised with their dialogue.
While the concept seemed so fun to watch, it was disappointing and I wouldn’t recommend paying to see this movie, but rather waiting until it’s available on a streaming service.
