What's Cooking? (2000)

WHAT'S COOKING? (2000) ***1/2 Mercedes Ruehl, Joan Chen, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick, Julianna Marguilies, Dennis Haysbert, Maury Chaykin, Lainie Kazan, Victor Rivers, Douglas Spain, A Martinez, Francois Chau, Will Yun Lee, Estelle Harris, Ralph Manza. Wonderful sleeper depicting four Los Angeles melting pot families all celebrating Thanksgiving, cross cutting between homes sharing the universal theme of family, love and ultimately acceptance of one another. Funny, emotional, intelligent and superbly acted with an equally impressive script by Gurinder Chadha (who directed) and Paul Mayeda Berges her real-life companion. Stand out performances especially by Ruehl, Chen & Woodard as strong-willed matriarchs and Sedgwick and Marguilies as one of the sexiest onscreen lesbian couples in some time. Kudos to the off-screen cooks who whip up some truly mouth-watering displays in uniquely different yet delicious dinners for the quartet broods.

Hey Where was the Handicap Guy and The Serial Killer and The Cross dressing "Nambla" String Quartet?This film had some good Acting, and great shots of delicious food being prepared. THAT however is all that speaks for it. It also had some NOT SO GOOD Acting. However but that is another issue.The story was a pretentious hodge podge- down your throat Politically Correct gnashing of the teeth. A Post Thanksgiving hi colonic of cleche. A melodrama served over Turkey with Sweet & Sour sauce ala Colonel Sanders as a side dish.Let's see we had the ever popular Lesbians in your face issues -one, pregnant apparently by a Homosexual sperm donor. And voila, after way too much kissing and cuddling (we get the idea already) enter "Diversity?" -, A Black Conservative, A Black Radical, Orientals, some who that might be gang members,, Hispanics issues, The betrayed latin mother now dating a likeable hotie- "Teacher" while scum bag husband gets his marching papers, (here-naturally rpleat with Flamenco playing during the back ground scenes) and of course, a story written and directed by an East Indian Woman...Ummm Humm.!? Well O.K., Why Not!Moving right along,. We had lovers and Liars, Gun Control Issues, Rebellious mis understood Condom Carrying teens.Now toss in one vegetarian-fruitarian body pierced rebellious smart mouth teen girl in puberty who is into Ebonics, charming the gastronomic holiday with her plight and spiel of the American Indian, as she picks over her hosts offering asking them if anything is prepared with animal fat.Of course moving on down the cinematic road to silliness- a film Replete with Affairs, Mother In Laws on the war Path, Ugly politicians (but of course) paint strewn with the "white" paint of black youthful truth and zeal. We even had the Jewish "Bris" issue, "To Circumcise or not to Circumcise, That is the Question"Naturally you had the philandering "Latin" Father, The upwardly mobile Black Conservative who is also a "cheat" but a repentant one.I am quite sure that had the film been just 15 minutes longer, the writer would have introduced a bulimic/anorexic porn star working her way through college while taking care of her HIV positive skin head boyfriend who had lost his job with the ACLU. But alas the movie was greatfully not long enough to go there.The only thing this movie missed was perhaps an introduction by Michael Moore. Or Michael Jackson and Barbara Striesand singing a chorus of "It don't matter if your black or White" They could have recorded it on their cell phones from Michaels Never never land in Santa Barbara, and from Barbara's 10 million dollar New York Penthouse.Isn't anyone tired of this drivel on screen? Actually I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I lived for more than 10 years right there close to Canter's Delicatessen, Near the Fairfax and Beverly Blvd, down the street from the Farmers Market. (the local of this supposed story) I never saw any of these folks.....there were characters and great people of all races of course. But this is touchy feely pabulum forced down the throat of anyone who will listen.O.K I am listening. But tell me a meaningful story about race, and life and love and poetry. Not this trite simplistic politically correct crap.

Spoilers herein.I got around to viewing this film recently, as it was on two of my `too see' lists: the Food and Joan Chen lists.Food films are a new genre that can impress. `Eat Drink Man Woman,' `In the Mood for Love' and `Big Night' were successes. The images touch sensory memories that extend the visual vocabulary. It is both enjoyable and intellectually satisfying. But this pedestrian film fails to evoke those memories.The Joan Chen connection seems one worth following. She is sort of a minor phenomenon, which I first noticed with `Autumn in NY.' that film's subject was just as unremarkable as this. But it was so well constructed I spend all my viewing time marveling at the craftsmanship. As an actress, she's understated -- a contrast to the hispanically demonstrable Ruhl, but very apt. A study in dramatizing the Asian woman which is quite a challenge since the starting point is deliberately undramatic. I think this same challenge was behind `Fargo,' the notion of drama among a practiced non-dramatic people.Chen intrigues me. I'm going to check out her `Send Down Girl' and get back to you.

You know i usually like to see a film at least twice before i say anything about it...i love the way you take something different out of it every time. This time...theres no need...but i WILL be off to see this one again if not again :) I admit i knew little of What's Cooking and to be honest i like it that way. Going into a film with no pre-conceptions. I guess i expected a fairly average 'done before' story line and boring underdeveloped characters. Well...scene one...i was sold..this movie is fantastic.I love the way that What's Cooking draws on a somewhat universal experience- in Thanksgiving, while at the same time highlighting that this one day is so very different for people. It chose to show this difference across a spectrum of cultral backgrounds: The Asian family struggling with tradition, the Hispanic family dealing with a family breakdown; the African-American family facing infidelity and rebellion and the Jewish family struggling with conformity. Strangely through such different stories it was plain to draw something from each one and relate back to your own experiences. This i think was one of the strongest points of this movie....it deals with something that most people are familiar with. Holidays with family that we love to hate and hate to love! The holidays that we can't wait to end but then can't wait for them to come around again. Even in the music score this was reflected (listen for the 'same but different' tune!)differently by all but still in many ways the same.The characters were perfect..you felt you knew them- again i think it comes down to relating back to your own experiences... You could take something from each one. I think that he cast was brilliant. I couldn't single out a single performance..this one was a team effort that paid off in a big way. Of the whole movie i would pick maybe one scene that seemed 'off'. The revelation at the Jewish table seemed to be played a little out of context of the characters. It just didn't seem right i guess but other than that i loved everything about this flick! i loved the movie, i loved that it wasn't predictable, i loved the music, the feel, the atmosphere, humour and warmth. It's not very often that you go to a movie and sit for the whole time with a smile on your face and if it wasnt that in this one it was an equally moving emotion. The best way to sum up this cleverly structured peoples piece is that it is incredibly warm. I had tears in my eyes for practically the whle film from laughter, fear, anticipation, sadness or a little bit of everything all at once! That in itself signifies the imense depth this film created from its inocent simplicity of just looking at life and people at their best and worst! I liken it in many ways to 'Playing By Heart' in its structure and insight into everyday people issues, but this film was far better in its reach to the audience and more powerful and sublte in its storyline. One of the best i've seen