Disjointed is the word that comes to mind when viewing The Kitchen and, even though we are dealing with the mob, I don’t mean that their husbands are in “dis joint.” Beyond question, this movie is one of the worst of the year. It proves that not all comic book characters transfer successfully to the big screen. The dialogue is bad, the violence grotesque, and this is just an overall waste of talent. Has any film ever taught its audience how to dismember a body?
Even in 1978 New York, do you believe that three guys caught in an armed robbery, then violently assault FBI agents, only receive a three year prison sentence? Everything about The Kitchen should be thrown down the kitchen sink. I give this flick 1 Gavel and it receives a 21% Rotten Tomatoes rating with a 73% Audience score. Do you think the mob threatened some of those audience members?
Plot
Hell’s Kitchen is not a place for the meek, or for women for that matter. But, when their husbands are sent to prison, assurances given to take care of the wives are soon forgotten. No dummies, our three “ladies” figure out that stores are paying for protection, yet receiving none. Promising to take care of their “customers,” while securing “muscle,” turns out to be quite lucrative. Except the Irish mafia and the Italian mafia are not keen that someone is infringing on their territory. The mob wars are about to get ugly, externally and internally.
Actors
Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish and Elisabeth Moss are the mob “girls” in charge, none of whom are the least bit likable. McCarthy just received an Oscar nomination for Can You Ever Forgive Me? Haddish has an Emmy for an SNL appearance. Moss picked up an Emmy for The Handmaid’s Tale. This is one movie they will leave off their resume. Margo Martindale is so bad that I am sure she was (SPOILER ALERT) happy to die.
Final Thoughts
The Kitchen starts out promising with It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World, and it goes downhill from there, rapidly. Our three just happen to show up at the crime scene as their husbands are being arrested. Talk about a coincidence! Besides dismemberment, our “educators” show us how to properly dispose of a body in the East River. Just what else do they teach us in comic books these days? Maybe they should make comic books about how to make a movie. This one flunks basic home economics. The Kitchen needs a better cook!