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EL BULLI: COOKING IN PROGRESSMovie Reviews
Spanish language documentary follows renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adrià as he works with his culinary team to prepare the new menu for his restaurant, El Bulli. Cast:Ferran Adria, Oriol Castro, Eduard Xatruch, Mateu Casanas, Eugeni de Diego, Ailor Lozano, Toni Morago, Francois ChartierDirector:Gereon WetzelRelease Date:July 27, 2011DVD Release:March 27, 2012From:Lorber FilmsLength:1 hr 48 min
MARCH 27, 2012
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress, Good Reviews, Mixed (Doc) Key Cities
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress played in key cities to good reviews that at the same time were mixed. • Owen Gleiberman wrote in Entertainment Weekly, "...a haunting celebration of the human desire to turn food into art..." • And V.A. Musetto wrote in the New York Post, "You can't get much farther from fast food than at Spain's El Bulli, which Restaurant magazine declared the finest in the world." More Reviews Below...
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress Positive Reviews (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: OUTSTANDING(cg) "...as we get to know the dishes, 'El Bulli' becomes a haunting celebration of the human desire to turn food into art - even if the results are consciously insane."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 104 words, 08/12/11
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (8 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: FAIR "A treat for chefs and foodies and a slog for everyone else.... the baffling avant-garde techniques and extreme politesse of the lab become oppressively dull."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 07/27/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...fascinating... made in the traditional vérité style of no direct interviews, minimal graphics and precious little info besides what simply happens before the camera."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 266 words, 09/30/11
V.A. Musetto, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "You can't get much farther from fast food than at Spain's El Bulli, which Restaurant magazine declared the finest in the world."(See all of V.A. Musetto's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 291 words, 07/27/11
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star: WEAK(cg) "...lacklustre.... flat camerawork and lack of a story beyond the framework of six months in the city lab and six months at 'El Bulli' gives us little to sink our teeth into."(See all of Linda Barnard's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 775 words, 08/05/11
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...extreme fly-on-the-wall vérité, with only the barest context provided as the culinary impossible is realized one painstaking step at a time."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 07/27/11
Jennie Punter, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "...barely registers a pulse stronger than a book's.... a very clinical exposition of the art and science behind cutting-edge culinary achievement."(See all of Jennie Punter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 473 words, 08/05/11
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If you're fantasizing about a trip to El Bulli, the restaurant has closed since this doc was shot, so foodies who didn't go previously will never know its brilliance."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 08/04/11
KEY CITIES (7 Reviews)
Lavanya Ramanathan, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "...any viewer not utterly geeked out on molecular gastronomy can't help but feel like an uninvited guest at a dinner party: bored, uncomfortable and praying for dessert."(See all of Lavanya Ramanathan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 494 words, 08/26/11
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...captivating... You can taste the coconut and smell the peppermint as the camera salivates over presentations that would make an art director weep."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 196 words, 09/23/11
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...cooking according to the concerns of certain European art-house existentialism: What is this sweet potato? Chef Ferran Adrià knows. It can be anything."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 737 words, 08/26/11
Walter Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "Not many movies find their dramatic climax in a restaurant menu, but this one does.... If you're passionate (and open-minded) about food, you'll be fascinated."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 307 words, 11/11/11
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a year in the restaurant's life, starting with the research and ending with a photo gallery of the new dishes... feels more like an overlong promotional video than a movie."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 333 words, 12/02/11
Stan Hall, Portland Oregonian: FAIR(cg) "Foodies will enjoy the processes and presentations of attractive entrees, but this bland portrait should have been sent back for more seasoning."(See all of Stan Hall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 123 words, 09/30/11
Evan S. Benn, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: WEAK(cg) "Wetzel's crude, handheld camera shots and minimal editing flourishes make even the excitement of Adrià's Barcelona test kitchen seem dull."(See all of Evan S. Benn's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 382 words, 02/03/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Karina Longworth, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...extreme fly-on-the-wall vérité, with only the barest context provided as the culinary impossible is realized one painstaking step at a time."(See all of Karina Longworth's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 238 words, 07/27/11
Scott Tobias, AV Club: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the future of cooking, as the techniques and creations refined at El Bulli find their way into the wider world, much like the work of influential fashion designers."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 381 words, 07/28/11
Jesse Cataldo, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "El Bulli probably deserves a more creative documentary... a collection of long, reverent scenes of owner Ferran Adrià managing his huge staff like a military commander."(See all of Jesse Cataldo's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 447 words, 07/25/11
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "If you're fantasizing about a trip to El Bulli, the restaurant has closed since this doc was shot, so foodies who didn't go previously will never know its brilliance."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 179 words, 08/04/11
HIGHBROW PRESS (2 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: FAIR "A treat for chefs and foodies and a slog for everyone else.... the baffling avant-garde techniques and extreme politesse of the lab become oppressively dull."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 07/27/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...fascinating... made in the traditional vérité style of no direct interviews, minimal graphics and precious little info besides what simply happens before the camera."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 266 words, 09/30/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Alissa Simon, Daily Variety: GOOD "...doesn't have the narrative drive or emotional appeal of a documentary like D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus' 'Kings of Pastry,' but still will serve as a tasty item..."(See all of Alissa Simon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 588 words, 02/19/11
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter: EXCELLENT "...fascinating... Gereon Wetzel and cameraman Josef Mayerhofer simply camp out in Adrià's lab and later kitchen to watch him assemble his next dining experience."(See all of Kirk Honeycutt's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 947 words, 07/28/11
Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...fascinating... made in the traditional vérité style of no direct interviews, minimal graphics and precious little info besides what simply happens before the camera."(See all of Mark Olsen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 266 words, 09/30/11
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: FAIR "A treat for chefs and foodies and a slog for everyone else.... the baffling avant-garde techniques and extreme politesse of the lab become oppressively dull."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 482 words, 07/27/11
19.4 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress's reviews are separated by an average 19.4 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (20 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:El Bulli: Cooking in Progress's reviews cover 22.4% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 7,981 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 399 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress Coverage, Volume & Length (20 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 24 Days After Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress's reviews on average broke 24 days after opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is El Bulli: Cooking in Progress's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
El Bulli: Cooking in Progress (20 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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