The Kitchen

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson, James Badge Dale, Brian d'Arcy James, Jeremy Bobb, Margo Martindale, Bill Camp, Common, Annabella Sciorra, Brandon Uranowitz
Directed by: Andrea Berloff
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Drama
2019

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Three women (Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss) continue to run their gangster husbands' business after they are sent to prison.

Review:

Tim: I thought I heard good things about The Kitchen so I was quite excited to sit down and watch this movie. It was frustrating to see my hopes plummet as I realized this was a poorly crafted film that squanders its potential. It's missing that element that makes gangster movies like this so terrific. This was director Andrea Berloff's directorial debut, and it feels like a film that got away from an inexperienced director. This movie should have been so good, but it wasn't.

I like the idea of the wives of three men teaming up to take over their business when they go to jail. The story here is actually fairly concrete. It was an original take and should have been the film's best asset. The fact that the source material was a comic book shouldn't have mattered (you would never know that just by watching the film). Unfortunately, something went wrong with the script, because the story is surprisingly dull. Instead of really highlighting all the politics to be navigated and that underworld to overcome, it feels like the story hits the wrong beats. The takeover by these three women doesn't feel that remarkable. It's too easy and doesn't do enough to draw us to their side. So, when they do run into obstacles or threats to what they've built, we're not as invested as we needed to be. That's where the film chiefly goes wrong, I believe. The elements of the story were there, but they aren't told in a compelling enough fashion. This is a movie whose script lets it down.

I really loved the casting of the three leads. It was wonderful to see Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish get away from their usual comedic roles and embrace these dramatic ones. Both gave strong performances and showed they have talent beyond their wheelhouse. I thought they worked well together and complimented each other on screen. They both worked well in these roles and that was a big strength of the film. It felt like Elisabeth Moss got a big shortchanged. She's the most talented of the three women, but she had the smallest role and on occasion felt like an afterthought. I've really enjoyed Moss on "The Handmaid's Tale" and I know she's capable of a lot more than she got to show on screen. She gets a few decent moments, but not enough. Her character should have been better written and given a bit more screen time. Still, it's a strength of the movie to have these three as the leads.

The supporting cast is solid, too. I really enjoy Domhnall Gleeson and thought he worked well in his supporting role. He was believable and memorable. James Badge Dale is capable of incredible things, but that wasn't on display here. Brian d'Arcy James added a strong performance, too. I always love seeing Margo Martindale. Common was a bit too forgettable. That aspect of the story was definitely weaker. Still, as a whole, the cast of this movie was above average.

The movie was probably the right length. Even though the 1 hour, 42 minute run time felt too long, that was a product of the story not living up to its potential. It didn't need to be longer, but it would have been a mistake to cut any more of the film. It's just that Berloff doesn't fully leverage the time she has. The story is the problem here and it pulls everything down with it.

I know I'm being hard on this movie, but The Kitchen deserves it. It's not that often that you see a gangster movie starring three women. This was a wonderful opportunity to showcase that diversity in all genres of film will be better for everyone involved, but especially the audience. That opportunity was squandered because the script was so bad. You can't fault McCarthy, Haddish, or Moss- they showed up, played their roles really well, and helped make the movie better. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough to work with, and that's why this is such a bitter disappointment.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



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