What's Cooking? (2000)
Average Rating: 5.5/10
Reviews Counted: 66
Fresh: 34 | Rotten: 32
What's Cooking? is well-acted, but the scenes sometimes sink into melodrama as characters scream at each other, and the movie as a whole is too lightweight and forgettable.
Average Rating: 5.1/10
Critic Reviews: 22
Fresh: 9 | Rotten: 13
What's Cooking? is well-acted, but the scenes sometimes sink into melodrama as characters scream at each other, and the movie as a whole is too lightweight and forgettable.
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Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 1,471
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Movie Info
Kenyan-born, London-educated Indian filmmaker Gurinder Chadha follows up on her debut hit Bhaji on the Beach (1994) with this gentle look at multiculturalism in Los Angeles. The film details the lives of four ethnically diverse families -- black, Latino, Jewish, and Asian -- during one frantic Thanksgiving. The film opens with Ronald (Dennis Haysbert), an African-American who works as a spin doctor for the Republican politico; he and his wife Audrey (Alfre Woodard) are in the midst of preparing
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Cast
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Alfre Woodard
Audrey Williams -
Dennis Haysbert
Ronald Williams -
Ann Weldon
Grace Williams -
Mercedes Ruehl
Elizabeth Avila -
Victor Rivers
Javier Avila -
Douglas Spain
Anthony Avila -
A Martinez
Daniel -
Lainie Kazan
Ruth Seeling -
Maury Chaykin
Herb Seeling -
Kyra Sedgwick
Rachel Seeling -
Julianna Margulies
Carla -
Estelle Harris
Aunt Bea -
Joan Chen
Trinh Nguyen -
Kristy Wu
Jenny Nguyen -
Will Yun Lee
Jimmy Nguyen -
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All Critics (78) | Top Critics (25) | Fresh (36) | Rotten (32) | DVD (10)
This valentine to the cultural diversity that defines L.A. is a second-tier Altman (or even Paul Thomas Anderson)a broad, accessible comedy that contrasts four large and dynamic families residing on the same street: Latino, black, Jewish, and Asian.
Top CriticChadha juggles her characters so deftly that we never get tired of any of them and eagerly look forward to returning to each table as her camera jumps around.
It wears both its heart and its politics too obviously on its sleeve for comfort.
Because the stories are so skillfully threaded together, the movie doesn't feel like an exercise: Each of the stories stands on its own.
Like the meal itself, the movie's both filling and familiar.
A glorified TV movie.
A bit melodramatic at times, but still charming.
A feast for the eyes along with the appetite, What's Cooking is a tragi-comic culinary surprise.
Offhand, if you're looking for an interesting take on families that's a decent ensemble piece, you could do a lot worse than this entry.
This is a terrific holiday film.
A flavorless fable that is as hard to swallow as a piece of tough turkey.
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November 24, 2005:
A Day to Give Thanks (for Good Thanksgiving Movies!)The Newsday column gets to take a few days off during the big holidays, but I couldn't let today go...
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