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MOVIES / ON DVD / KITCHEN STORIES
Kitchen Stories

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Kitchen Stories (2004)

90%
96%
76%
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90 %
Reviews Counted: 73 Fresh: 66  Rotten:7 Average Rating: 7.3/10
 
Consensus: By turns touching and funny, this Norwegian import offers quietly absorbing commentary on modern life and friendship.
 

How does the Tomatometer work?

The Tomatometer measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics for a certain movie.[-]

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

Theatrical Release: Feb 20, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: A quaint story about the friendship between two aging men, KITCHEN STORIES is packaged as a comedy with a very strange premise. It is based on research conducted in Sweden in the 1950s when women were observed in the kitchen for a study to determine the best housework techniques. In the film, a... A quaint story about the friendship between two aging men, KITCHEN STORIES is packaged as a comedy with a very strange premise. It is based on research conducted in Sweden in the 1950s when women were observed in the kitchen for a study to determine the best housework techniques. In the film, a fictional plotline concerns a team of Swedish scientists--all men--hired to observe bachelors living alone in Norway. Their methods are absurd. The observers live in funny little trailers outside their subjects' houses. They sit in high, intimidating chairs placed in the corner of their subjects' kitchens where they take notes on a clipboard. Finally, there is a strict rule that the observer and the subject must not speak to each other or make contact of any kind. This last rule is impossible to follow, and in the case of observer Folke (Tomas Norstrom) and subject Isak (Joachim Calmeyer) it is ignored. The two aging men become fast friends, passing wintry afternoons in the rural countryside sipping coffee, smoking pipes, and telling each other fantastic stories. Writer-director Bent Hamer has created a sweet and pleasing comedy with KITCHEN STORIES, using excellent photography, interesting colors, and great performances to make a success of a uncomplicated plot. [More]

Genre: Foreign Films

Starring: Joachim Calmeyer, Tomas Norstrom, Bjorn Floberg, Reine Brynolfsson

Director: Bent Hamer
Screenwriter: Bent Hamer
Producer: Bent Hamer
Composer: Hans Mathisen

DVD Info

Release:

Dec 14, 2004

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Region (unknown)
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen - 2.0

Audio:

  • Surround Sound 5.1 English

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
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06/05/08
David Rooney
Variety
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N/R

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06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
N/R

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05/20/06
Blake DePastino
Baltimore City Paper
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4/5

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04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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4/5

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12/06/05
Film Threat
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N/R

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07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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4/5

Not the sort of film you'd want a steady diet of, but as a change of pace from the ordinary, it's well worth a look.

Full Review | comment Comment
02/16/05
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
N/R

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12/08/04
Hollywood Reporter
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4/5

An ingeniously dry and bittersweet comedy about that 1940s and '50s research.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/29/04
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
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4/5

One of those rare winning exceptions to the axiom that movies should move, this one shows what advantage can be earned when men of good will sit still together.

Full Review | comment Comment
11/24/04
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly
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N/A

A prime piece of comic anthropology.

Full Review | comment Comment
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
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3/4

What you're left with is a relationship between two men that is untouched by macho posturing or any trace of anxiety -- and a perfect respite from the action flick mentality.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/17/04
Kevin John Bozelka
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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3/4

What starts as a satire of the methodical, modernity-seeking society in Sweden ends as a heartwarming dramatic comedy in Norway.

Full Review | comment Comment
06/11/04
Marta Barber
Miami Herald
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3/4

A thoroughly charming oddity. And, in the end, a moving one, too.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/22/04
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
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3/5

An enjoyable study of ridiculous regimentation and a sure balm to anyone who has overdosed on the efficient designs at Ikea.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/17/04
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle
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3/4

A rich character piece with more than a few chuckle-worthy moments.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/16/04
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
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2.5/4

Hamer's pacing is poky, and the 'well, duh' moral ... hits the audience well before it is revealed to the characters.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/16/04
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune
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4/5

Kitchen Stories is so subtle that many viewers will not be aware that it's screamingly funny.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/15/04
Richard Nilsen
Arizona Republic
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N/A

It rewards patience with persistent chuckles, and fills its humble plate.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/08/04
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune
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4/5

Boy, just when you think all the original stories have been told, something like this comes along.

Full Review | comment Comment
04/06/04
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
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Related Forums

REEL_REVIEWER
KITCHEN STORIES is Norway's OFFICIAL entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/20/04


REEL_REVIEWER
KITCHEN STORIES is Norway's OFFICIAL entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/20/04


REEL_REVIEWER
KITCHEN STORIES is Norway's OFFICIAL entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/20/04


REEL_REVIEWER
KITCHEN STORIES is Norway's OFFICIAL entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/20/04


HarryTuttle
a witty absurd cynical drama/comedy
by: HarryTuttle 12/21/03

Around the Network

• Kitchen Stories at Rotten Tomatoes
• Kitchen Stories at AskMen
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