hopscotchee: margo martindale score: 72.5 rating: R time: 103 minutes
oh. hey there. didn't see ya. you happened to catch us in the middle of bowing down to tiffany! qquueeenn! haddish! just one second...*bowing* *bowing* *bowing* *bowing* *bowing*...
okay, where were we? oh, that's right, tiffany! qquueeenn! haddish!!!!!!! holy guacamole! what a bad b!tch, baller that one!! seriously, even if you're not into mob movies, you should really just watch it for her locked and loaded fierceness. but in all realness, this review is over the kitchen and not just how sick tiffany queen haddish looks in a pant suit!! however, before we begin and dive deep into this killer flick, it's necessary to express that, as movie reviewers, we consider it mandatory to go into a movie open minded and only open minded. what other critics say or score it does not mix in with our influence to give each film a proper fair chance or, in some cases, the benefit of the doubt. the reason for mentioning this is because as also female filmmakers, we've particularly noticed that this mindset is considerably revealing for the movies that would 'need' the benefit of the doubt, the movies that critics typically trash. in most cases, those films aren't always meant to be dumped in the garbage can. especially when old men watch movies directed by kick ass females about kick ass females, you can't always take it for what its worth. so, if you originally might've hesitated to watch the kitchen because you happened to glance at its 27% rotten tomatoes' score, we're here to tell you that it's not the movie that's bad, but their stuck up attitudes, so please take our 72.5% as a guide of reference instead and hop on board with our tiffany queen haddish standom!! :)
starting off strong and earning a nearly perfect score of '9' from both of us, the kitchen's set and design wowed wonders, grabbing our attention right from the get go!! transforming a simple, ordinary, new york neighborhood into an 80s tainted, mob-affiliated, crime ridden residency with weathered red brick buildings, dated architecture, and out of style wallpaper (just to highlight a few) takes a lot of communication across the design team and requires everyone involved to have a clear, dedicated aesthetic and image in mind to keep every detail consistent throughout the film. additionally, having to go back several decades to capture a movie also means it is necessary for someone to arrange for streets and neighborhoods to be blocked off in order to not disrupt the filming process, which is no easy task and only enhances director, andrea berloff's strong leadership to allow her set and design team the ability to bring the complete set to life. trading this for a time crunch, it is not present that it strained berloff's ability to manage her hours, actresses, or even execute her scenes at all. altogether, the choice to prioritize the well adapted set and focused attention to the design's details, by both the design team and andrea berloff, further captivated the story's plot line and surround the audience with just as much mischief from the backdrop as the leading roles.
which, speaking of leading roles, melissa mccarthy, elisabeth moss, and, of course, tiffany queen haddish are just rockstars!! the amount of emotional range that these women have is just impossible to fully grasp. no matter what it is, they are always ready to pack a punch full of surprises and that is no exception for this movie. they're just magic! they are just freakin magic!! even despite elisabeth moss having more experience for the dramatic and serious roles, melissa and tiffany, in our humble opinions, show up elisabeth, leaving their traditionally comedic roots at the door and bringing their mob boss baggage to the table with unforgettable performances. simply the way those two mix their cold cut confidence with their underlining uncertainty of their safety is just sharply complex and beautifully portrayed. creeping in the corner of compliments as well, don't think we weren't gonna mention mr. domhnall gleeson!! our jolly ginger, our dublin bud, our irish crush, our hello-again-friend from past hopscotched movie, anna karenina,
mr. domhnall gleeson takes on, yet again, another role to just keep you in awe of this man. playing one of the most rather unusual roles out there (spoiler), a hopeless romantic hit man, mr. domhnall gleeson, to no shock, has you sympathetically on his side by the end of the movie, hooking you with his shy charm and quiet quirks. to all of this, the kitchen is one heck of a highly enjoyable flick thanks to its absolutely amazing assemble of a cast!!
last to mention, this movie is, in fact, a branch a part of the dc comic franchise money tree. adapted from the brilliant graphic novel series of the same name, the kitchen is full of just as much juicy sizzle and pop in their plot lines like the comics, keeping their dc staple for jaw dropping plot twists. now we won't explain any more because the twist is too good to even give a sliver of it away!! you'll just have to watch it for yourself and be blown away. however, before you go 'well, i don't read dc comics', we will tell you one thing, and that is that this movie is exceptionally well interpreted to meet a wide audience where they're at, so it isn't hard to follow and, in fact, is very engaging regardless if they've read the series or not.
wrapping this review up now, if you've been waiting for us to watch and review a super-killer, female empowerment, boss-squad movie, the kitchen is it!! so don't wait any minute longer and go watch it already!!
-- thanks, margo xo