The Kitchen (2012 film)

Last updated
The Kitchen
The Kitchen 2012 poster.png
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ishai Setton
Written byJim Beggarly
Produced byEmily Ting
Starring
CinematographyJosh Silfen
Edited byMark Scovil
Music byErik Desiderio
Production
company
Unbound Feet Productions
Distributed by Monterey Media
Release dates
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Kitchen is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Ishai Setton and written by Jim Beggarly, starring Laura Prepon, Bryan Greenberg, and Dreama Walker. The film was shot in Los Angeles.

Contents

Plot

The film takes place during the 30th birthday of Jennifer Parker, an art curator who has recently quit her job in order to open her own art gallery. The story is viewed entirely within the confines of the kitchen and adjoining dining room of Jennifer's home which she shares with her roommate and friend Kenny. Jennifer is not looking forward to her birthday party, which is being planned by Stan, her friend who has unrequited feelings for her. Her longtime boyfriend Paul has confessed to her the night before that he has been cheating on her with multiple women. Her younger sister Penny is pregnant from a casual fling and is scheduled to have an abortion later in the week.

As the party begins, Jennifer tells Penny she has invited Vladimir, an artist, in an attempt to poach him as the sole client of her gallery. As Jennifer goes to greet arriving guests, Kenny tells Penny he wishes to pursue a serious relationship with her after years of casual makeout sessions. Amanda and Kim, friends of Jennifer, arrive and Kim confesses that she slept with Paul and has purchased an expensive gift in order to apologize to Jennifer after telling her the truth. While Jennifer is discussing Paul with her best friend Pam, Kim and Amanda walk in and Kim awkwardly admits what happened, causing her to storm off. Pam then tells Amanda that she is aware Amanda is sleeping with Paul, as she and Paul are very old friends. Through conversation with friends Peter and Andre, Kenny finds out Penny is pregnant and says he wishes he could be the father.

Jennifer laments to Penny about her status in life but decides to have fun and enjoy her party. Afterward, Stan talks about Paul and Jennifer's breakup, and Penny tells him this is his opportunity to be with her. As Kim and Amanda reenter the kitchen, Paul knocks on the dining room window and asks Kim to retrieve his laptop that he left behind, as he does not want to cause a scene. He pretends that he is interested in dating her in order to convince her, only to proceed to finger and make out with Amanda as soon as Kim leaves the room. Stan walks in on the situation and notifies Penny, who sprays the Paul and Amanda with a fire extinguisher before throwing Paul's laptop out a window. After making out off-screen with Marco, an Italian exchange student who does not speak any English, Jennifer receives a call from Vladimir telling her that he will not be attending the party and has chosen to stay with Pace, leaving Jennifer worried about the fate of her art gallery.

Kim carries Paul into the dining room after he hurt his ankle climbing a fence to retrieve his laptop. Jennifer yells at him after learning Kim believes that she and Paul are now dating, as well as the fact that Paul is involved with Amanda. Jennifer asks why he confessed about cheating the day before her birthday, and he admits he thought someone would tell her, so he came clean in the hopes she would not be mad at him. Kim and Paul leave while Penny drags Jennifer away. As rival bands begin brawling in the backyard, things come to a head when Stan tries to get Jennifer to blow out the candles on her birthday cake, which has had the name smeared off since it was spelled "Jenni" instead of Jennifer, which she hates. Frustrated and upset, Jennifer pushes the cake into Stan's shirt off-screen. As he goes to clean up in the kitchen, Penny proceeds to mock Stan's obvious crush, causing Stan to harshly criticize Penny as an attention seeker and make fun of her scheduled abortion. Penny ends the party and Stan leaves in frustration.

The morning after, Kenny and Penny have finally gotten together and are choosing to keep the baby. As she begins to clean up the mess from the previous night, Jennifer finds the portfolio of Brent, an unstable photographer that Stan hired for the party, and finds that he has talent. She leaves him a message about showing his photos in her gallery and smiles optimistically about the future.

Cast

Release

Festivals

The Kitchen premiered at the GenArt Film Festival on August 14, 2012. [1] That same year, the film was also selected to screen at the BendFilm Festival, [2] the Tallgrass Film Festival, [3] the Austin Film Festival, [4] the Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival, [5] and the Daytona Beach Film Festival. [6]

Theatrical

The Kitchen had its Los Angeles theatrical premiere on March 14, 2013, at Laemmle's NoHo 7 in North Hollywood. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Cattrall</span> British-Canadian actress (born 1956)

Kim Victoria Cattrall is a British and Canadian actress. She is known for her portrayal of Samantha Jones on HBO's Sex and the City (1998–2004), for which she received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning the 2002 Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in the feature films Sex and the City (2008) and Sex and the City 2 (2010), as well as in a cameo on its revival And Just Like That... (2023).

<i>Dirty Dancing</i> 1987 American romantic drama film by Emile Ardolino

Dirty Dancing is a 1987 American romantic drama dance film written by Eleanor Bergstein, produced by Linda Gottlieb, and directed by Emile Ardolino. Starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, it tells the story of Frances "Baby" Houseman (Grey), a young woman who falls in love with dance instructor Johnny Castle (Swayze) at a vacation resort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laura Prepon</span> American actress

Laura Prepon is an American actress. She rose to fame with her role as Donna Pinciotti in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show (1998–2006). She is also known for portraying Alex Vause in the Netflix comedy-drama series Orange Is the New Black (2013–2019). Prepon made her film debut in 2001 with the independent drama Southlander. Her other films include the romantic drama Come Early Morning (2006), the comedy Lay the Favorite (2012), the thriller The Girl on the Train (2016), and the drama The Hero (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pam Grier</span> American actress (born 1949)

Pamela Suzette Grier is an American actress and singer. Described by many as cinema's first female action star, she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action, blaxploitation and women in prison films for American International Pictures and New World Pictures. Her accolades include nominations for an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Satellite Award and a Saturn Award.

<i>Beat Girl</i> 1960 British film by Edmond T. Gréville

Beat' Girl is a 1960 British teen exploitation drama film directed by Edmond T. Gréville. The film was released in the United States under the title Wild for Kicks.

<i>The Celebration</i> 1998 Danish black comedy-drama film

The Celebration is a 1998 Danish black comedy-drama film directed by Thomas Vinterberg and produced by Nimbus Film. It tells the story of a family gathering to celebrate their patriarch's 60th birthday, during which a family secret is revealed. Vinterberg's inspiration for the film, which he wrote with Mogens Rukov, was an interview broadcast by a Danish radio station, though the interview was later discovered to be a hoax.

"Tweek vs. Craig" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 36th episode of the series overall. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on June 23, 1999. In the episode Stan, Kyle and Cartman pit Tweek and Craig against each other. Meanwhile, the boys' wood shop teacher, Mr. Adler, struggles to cope with the loss of his wife, who died in a plane crash.

"Email Surveillance" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's fifteenth episode overall. Written by Jennifer Celotta, and directed by Paul Feig, the episode first aired in the United States on November 22, 2005 on NBC. The episode guest starred Ken Jeong and Omi Vaidya.

<i>3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain</i> 1998 American film

3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain is a 1998 American martial arts film. It is the fourth and final installment in the 3 Ninjas franchise.

<i>Death Proof</i> 2007 American film

Death Proof is a 2007 American action slasher film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars Kurt Russell as a stuntman who murders young women with modified cars he purports to be "death-proof". Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Rose McGowan, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Zoë Bell co-star as the women he targets.

"Cocktails" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the American version of The Office and the show's forty-sixth episode overall. It was written by actor Paul Lieberstein and directed by Lost series creator J. J. Abrams. NBC hired Abrams and Joss Whedon to each direct an episode during their February sweeps week. Michael Patrick McGill, Dan Cole, Owen Daniels, and Jean Villepique guest starred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carla Laemmle</span> American actress

Rebekah Isabelle Laemmle, known professionally as Carla Laemmle, was an American actress and dancer, and the niece of Universal Pictures studio founder Carl Laemmle. As an actress/dancer, she is known primarily for her roles in The Phantom of the Opera (1925) and Dracula (1931). At the time of her death, she was one of the last surviving actors of the silent film era, with her career spanning nearly 90 years, also with one of the longest gaps.

<i>A Little Help</i> 2010 American comedy-drama film

A Little Help is a 2010 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Michael J. Weithorn. It follows the experiences of a dental hygienist following her unfaithful husband's sudden death. It debuted on May 21, 2010, at the Seattle International Film Festival. In the Fall of 2010, the film won the Best Narrative Feature film at the San Diego Film Festival. This was Ron Leibman's final film role before his death on December 6, 2019.

<i>Asylum Blackout</i> 2011 horror film

Asylum Blackout, also known as The Incident, is a 2011 English-language American-French-Belgian horror film directed by Alexandre Courtès and written by S. Craig Zahler.

Ishai Setton is an American film director, editor and producer. After graduating from the Tisch School of the Arts in New York City in 2002, he has worked both in cinema and television.

<i>Lucky</i> (2017 American film) 2017 American film

Lucky is a 2017 American drama film directed by John Carroll Lynch, written by Logan Sparks and Drago Sumonja, and starring Harry Dean Stanton. It was one of Stanton's final onscreen roles before his death. The film tells the story of 90-year-old Lucky as he comes to terms with his own mortality and searches for enlightenment. It received positive reviews from critics.

<i>Blackbird</i> (2019 film) 2019 American drama film

Blackbird is a 2019 American drama film directed by Roger Michell and written by Christian Torpe. It is a remake of the 2014 Danish film Silent Heart, also written by Torpe. It stars Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mia Wasikowska, Lindsay Duncan, Rainn Wilson, Bex Taylor-Klaus, and Sam Neill. A family of three generations gather over a weekend to say goodbye to its matriarch Lily, who suffers from an incurable disease. With the help of her husband Paul, Lily has chosen to pursue euthanasia when the weekend is over. But as the end approaches, their mother's decision becomes more and more difficult to handle for her two daughters, and old conflicts resurface.

<i>A Mouthful of Air</i> (film) 2021 American film

A Mouthful of Air is a 2021 American psychological drama film written, directed and produced by Amy Koppelman, based on her 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Amanda Seyfried, Finn Wittrock, Jennifer Carpenter, Michael Gaston, Amy Irving, and Paul Giamatti.

<i>Fresh</i> (2022 film) 2022 film by Mimi Cave

Fresh is a 2022 American horror thriller film directed by Mimi Cave, in her directorial debut, from a screenplay by Lauryn Kahn. The film stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Sebastian Stan. It is a co-production between Legendary Pictures and Hyperobject Industries; Adam McKay produced the film alongside Kevin J. Messick. The film follows Noa, who meets the alluring Steve at a grocery store and – given her frustration with dating apps – takes a chance and gives him her number. After their first date, Noa is smitten and accepts Steve's invitation to a romantic weekend getaway, only to find that he has been hiding some unusual appetites.

References

  1. "DAY 7: THE KITCHEN & LITERALLY, RIGHT BEFORE AARON (CLOSING NIGHT)". ElectroStub. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  2. "BendFilm Releases 2012 Lineup: Fall festival offers more venues than ever before". The Source Weekly. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  3. "tallgrass film festival guide". tallgrassfilmfest.com. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  4. "Austinfilm festival guide". aff.festivalgenius.com. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  5. "Ft. Lauderdale film festival guide". fliff.com. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  6. "Daytona Beach film festival guide". dbff.org. Retrieved November 5, 2012.
  7. "NoHo 7 Film opening guide". laemmle.com. Retrieved 26 Feb 2013.