Review of Soul Kitchen (2009) by Daniel P — 15 Apr 2012
A real sleeper, great movie. For Zinos the restauranteur, in his run-down, bland Soul Kitchen in Hamburg's industrial district, things just keep going wrong: his girlfriend, a journalist, leaves for China; his brother gets out of jail and brings his old friends and old ways back in Zinos's life; a chance meeting with an old school chum who's become a real estate developer turns into constant pressure to sell.
It's hard to say more without ruining the intrigue, but for most of the movie, Zinos is a punching bag. The film is rarely heavy, and never mean-spirited, though: it just generates honest laughs, in an "Oh come on, what next!?" sort of way.
Occasionally, the humour borders on slapstick, but all the jokes come from the plot, and something new is always happening to keep driving the story forward. Add in a great soundtrack (funk and soul, naturally), and you've got the recipe for pure cinematic joy.
Highly, highly recommend, it's an excellent film.
This review of Soul Kitchen (2009) was written by Daniel P on 15 Apr 2012.
Soul Kitchen has generally received positive reviews.
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