Opening

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—— Alyce Kills May 24

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8% The Big Wedding $1.1M

Coming Soon

—— After Earth May 31
—— Now You See Me May 31
88% The East May 31
100% The Kings of Summer May 31

What's Cooking? (2000)

tomatometer

52

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.

41

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.

audience

62

liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 1,471

My Rating

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

PG-13,

Drama, Comedy

Gurinder Chadha, Paul Mayeda Berges

Apr 10, 2001

$0.7M

Trimark Pictures - Official Site External Icon

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Cast

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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.

December 20, 2006 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Chadha 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.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Sacramento Bee
Sacramento Bee
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It wears both its heart and its politics too obviously on its sleeve for comfort.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Detroit News
Detroit News
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Because the stories are so skillfully threaded together, the movie doesn't feel like an exercise: Each of the stories stands on its own.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
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Like the meal itself, the movie's both filling and familiar.

January 1, 2000 Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
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A glorified TV movie.

January 1, 2000
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic IconTop Critic

A bit melodramatic at times, but still charming.

December 29, 2010 Full Review Source: Common Sense Media
Common Sense Media

A feast for the eyes along with the appetite, What's Cooking is a tragi-comic culinary surprise.

July 6, 2007 Full Review
Long Island Press

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.

September 28, 2003 Full Review Source: Needcoffee.com
Needcoffee.com

This is a terrific holiday film.

October 21, 2002 Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan
San Diego Metropolitan

A flavorless fable that is as hard to swallow as a piece of tough turkey.

November 8, 2001 Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com
Filmcritic.com

Audience Reviews for What's Cooking?

Great actors, but not very interesting storyline. A little too stereotypical, a lot too trite and concocted. Entertaining enough to watch to its conclusion, but not a very satisfying movie in the end.
May 2, 2011
itsjustme2004

Super Reviewer

Definitely watchable with some great performances (sup Alfre Woodard), but also painfully heavy handed.
November 13, 2008
zeravenyoej
Joey Nevarez

Super Reviewer

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Latest News on What's Cooking?

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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