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Kitchen Stories

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Kitchen Stories (2004)

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Reviews Counted:74

Fresh:67

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.

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

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... 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]

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

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

Director: Bent Hamer

Director: Bent Hamer
Screenwriter: Bent Hamer
Producer: Bent Hamer
Composer: Hans Mathisen
Studio: IFC Films

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Dec 14, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Kitchen Stories

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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The charm and chemistry of the two leads and subtle, wry moments of humor make for an endearing entertainment.

Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com | comment Comment
12/28/08
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
10/18/08
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile Critics
Urban Cinefile
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
06/05/08
David Rooney
David Rooney
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out
N/R

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Full Review Source: Baltimore City Paper | comment Comment
05/20/06
Blake DePastino
Blake DePastino
Baltimore City Paper

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
04/01/06
Empire Magazine
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
12/08/04
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
11/29/04
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

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 Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
11/24/04
Steve Schneider
Steve Schneider
Orlando Weekly

A prime piece of comic anthropology.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
08/07/04
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
06/17/04
Kevin John Bozelka
Kevin John Bozelka
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

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

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
06/11/04
Marta Barber
Marta Barber
Miami Herald

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

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
04/22/04
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
04/17/04
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

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

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

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

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
04/16/04
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

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

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
04/15/04
Richard Nilsen
Richard Nilsen
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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