In Hell’s Kitchen, circa 1978, three women are married to members of the Irish mob: Kathy Brennan and her husband, Jimmy, have two kids. Jimmy is kind and wants to leave the mob. Ruby O’Carroll is married to Kevin, who’s the son of Helen and heir to the mob empire. Claire Walsh is married to Rob, who is abusive towards her. One night while robbing a convenience store, FBI Agents Silvers and Martinez, who have been trailing them, bust them, and the three men are sentenced to three years in prison.
While Kevin is in prison, Little Jackie becomes the head of the mob. He tells the three wives that he will ensure their financial comfort, but, gives them each a tiny pittance. Kathy can barely afford to feed her kids. Claire, who volunteers at a homeless shelter, is attacked by one of the homeless men. The women ask Jackie for more money, but, he viciously denies them. Kathy tries to find a job, but, no one will hire her because she’s a mother.
The women are at a loss for what to do next. Shortly thereafter, they are told that, despite all the local businesses paying protection fees to the mob, they have seen very little results under Little Jackie. The women seize the opening, using Kathy’s cousin Duffy and friend Burns as their enforcers. They begin collecting protection fees and helping out the neighborhood, making a huge profit and becoming beloved in the community.
The Kitchen is a 2019 American crime film written and directed by Andrea Berloff in her directorial debut. It is based on the DC/Vertigo Comics limited series of the same name by Ollie Masters and Ming Doyle. The film stars an ensemble cast, led by Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss as the wives of Irish mobsters, who take over organized crime operations in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen in the late 1970s, after the FBI arrests their husbands. The film also features Domhnall Gleeson, James Badge Dale, Brian d’Arcy James, Jeremy Bobb, Margo Martindale, Common, and Bill Camp in supporting roles.
Produced by New Line Cinema, Bron Creative, and Michael De Luca Productions, the film was theatrically released in the United States on August 9, 2019, by Warner Bros. Pictures. It received mostly negative reviews from critics, who criticized the convoluted plot, and grossed $16 million against its $38 million budget, making the film a box-office bomb.
The Kitchen (2019)
Directed by: Andrea Berloff
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson, James Badge Dale, Brian d’Arcy James, Margo Martindale, Common, Bill Camp, Tina Benko, Gabriel Rush
Screenplay by: Andrea Berloff
Production Design by: Shane Valentino
Cinematography by: Maryse Alberti
Film Editing by: Christopher Tellefsen
Costume Design by: Sarah Edwards
Art Direction by: Anu Schwartz, Ernesto Solo
Music by: Bryce Dessner
MPAA Rating: R for violence, language throughout and some sexual content.
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Release Date: August 9, 2019
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