The louder and more melodramatic the arguments get, the more overwrought the acting becomes.
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01/01/00
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What's Cooking? (2000)
52
%
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Reviews Counted:65
Fresh:34
Rotten:31
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: 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.
Theatrical Release:Nov 17, 2000 Limited
Box Office: $660,140
Synopsis: Coming together is the theme of What's Cooking?, Gurinder Chadha's funny, mouth-watering and deeply moving vision of 21st century diversity and the future of the American family -- all set on... [More]
Starring: Joan Chen, Julianna Margulies, Mercedes Ruehl, Kyra Sedgwick
Director: Gurinder Chadha
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Reviews for What's Cooking?
Top CriticI was most impressed with the story of Kyra's character, and how her lifestyle affects her relationship with her parents.
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If the story is banal, the dialogue lacking in sharpness, and the exposition taking forever before Chadha cuts to the chase, the well-acted film is a love poem to the city of angels.
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The kind of obvious theatrics employed by Chadha do a great disservice to both her characters and her audience.
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Top CriticThe writers observe each family with a knowing eye and a miraculously even hand that lends the jokes the ring of truth.
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Top CriticMay be the first film in history where the food has infinitely more personality than the people.
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The brouhahas are more undercooked than the birds.
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Top CriticChadha manages to infuse enough humor and fun moments into the film that most viewers will probably enjoy what it has to offer.
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A perfect movie for the holidays, one that presents a universal theme of highs and lows of family life within different cultures.
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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.
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This film is lighthearted and smart enough to be one of the best Altmanesque ensemble comedies of the last couple of years.
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Top CriticIt's nothing if not well-intentioned, but
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Top CriticHas unexpected substance and is a formidable accomplishment in that it brings dimension to its nearly 40 principal characters.
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Top CriticChadha's efforts to show subtle strife and optimism between the city's differing racial community are strained, making the film hackneyed, slightly stereotypical and sometimes laughable.
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For a canvas this broad, the portraiture is exceptionally fine.
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Top CriticClick to read the article
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[Chadha's] characters teeter on the edges of ethnic cliches.
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An infectious film that successfully juxtaposes four seemingly different families during the most joyous and stressful time of the year.
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Latest News for 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 by without offering our friends a handful of Turkey-day treats. If you're... More...
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