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Cast: Bryan Greenberg, Laura Prepon, Dreama Walker
Jennifer (Laura Prepon) is turning 30 and her best friend, Stan (Matt Bush), is throwing her a party. But she is in no mood to celebrate. She just left her job, as well as her cheating boyfriend, Paul (Bryan Greenberg). Her cynical little sister Penny (Dreama Walker) is threatening to overshadow the whole affair with the most inappropriate party announcement. And she is pretty sure she's too old to still be living with her creepy roommate.
What starts out as a well-intentioned day of celebration quickly spirals into a most ill-fated disaster, from an ex-boyfriend who can't "get enough" to the bands dueling in the backyard and from disloyal friends showing their true colors to a manic-depressive party photographer who may have forgotten to take his meds.
"The Kitchen" is a little comedy that focuses on Jennifer, her sister and a group of friends as they all get together to celebrate her 30th birthday, but things go sour real fast when Jennifer finds out her boyfriend has been cheating on her and that her sister is pregnant and is thinking about having an abortion. The film takes place in the kitchen but it never gets boring because Director, Ishai Setton introduces us to multiple characters with multiple story-lines right from the start. He also keeps the film moving at brisk pace and always interesting.
There's a nice mix of comedy and drama, I found myself laughing out loud several times during the film but it is also touching at times as well. Besides the amazing ensemble cast which includes, Laura Prepon, Tate Ellington, Matt Bush, Catherine Reitman and Baron Vaughan the writing is also top-notch. The dialogue in the film is both smart and clever, at times hilarious and other times dead serious. You don't get to see an adult comedy like this one that entertains the way it does without having a ton of sex jokes or naked women running around. The film is not without it crude moments but they are only a small part of the over-all story.
I already mentioned the cast but I want to add that even though this is an ensemble piece I thought Laura Prepon was amazing as Jennifer and Dreama Walker was also incredible as her sister, Penny. There's not much to say about the film production-wise because it does take place in one room but the camera work does a great job at keeping the film lively.
If you like the genre then I recommend checking this out, "The Kitchen" serves up the perfect mix of comedy and drama making it an engaging and often hilarious film that entertains from beginning to end. It will have you laughing through-out and thinking about it long after it is over.
Available on DVD with Special Features that include:
Deleted Scenes
Behind The Scenes
Interview...Seriously?
Cooking in the Kitchen with Matt and Ishai from the Kitchen
You can order the DVD HERE. It was nice to watch an entertaining dramedy that doesn't insult the audience, this is a gem worth checking out.
Released by Monterey Media
**** Out Of *****