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SOUL KITCHENMovie Reviews
German language comedy about the owner and denizens of a troubled restaurant in a working-class neighborhood of Hamburg. Cast:Adam Bousdoukos, Moritz Bleibtreu, Birol Uenel, Birol Ünel, Anna Bederke, Lucas GregorowiczDirector:Fatih AkinRelease Date:August 20, 2010DVD Release:December 21, 2010From:IFCLength:1 hr 39 min
Soul Kitchen played in key cities to good reviews. • Dana Stevens wrote for Slate, "...shaggily endearing... sprawling, undisciplined, raucous, occasionally crass — and so full of life you forgive it everything." • And Susan G. Cole wrote in Toronto Now, "...isn't nearly as soulful as Fatih Akin's more serious stuff, especially 'Head-On' and 'The Edge Of Heaven'.... an entertaining trifle." More Reviews Below...
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a generic, feel-good plot that's fit for a sit-com.... attempts to compensate for its familiarity and predictability with energy and humor..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 635 words, 08/19/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...isn't laugh-out-loud-funny so much as warmly amusing. You don't feel pressured to ponder the deeper meaning of the geopolitical puzzle; it's just a fact of modern life."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 712 words, 08/20/10
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Akin dilutes his characteristic acidity, but that's okay. His respectable goal is no different from Zinos': to please a crowd, while gently expanding some palates."(See all of Elizabeth Weitzman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 151 words, 08/20/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a film that delights in contrivance and improbability, but it does so with such a big-hearted sense of fun that it is hard not to be swept away."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 09/03/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...funky, enjoyable... While the comic pitch sometimes feels like the work of a serious man trying to cut loose, around the film's midpoint I gave in."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 470 words, 09/10/10
John Anderson, New York Newsday: VERY GOOD(cg) "Fatih Akin has a sommelier's appreciation for the terroir of the German underclass and the margins of society, which gives the film its complex texture.... it's intoxicating."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 365 words, 08/27/10
Jim Emerson, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the kind of movie you might make for, about and with your best friend, for no other reason than to have fun recapturing a period in your lives..."(See all of Jim Emerson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 746 words, 09/09/10
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "As the hapless, devoted, herniated restaurateur, Adam Bousdoukos mugs, frets, and Frankenstein-walks with a winning excitability."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 194 words, 08/18/10
Jason Anderson, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "A superb soundtrack of soul and funk oldies by Curtis Mayfield and others lends a sense of coherence that's otherwise lacking... Likeable but extremely erratic..."(See all of Jason Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 08/13/10
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't nearly as soulful as Fatih Akin's more serious stuff, especially 'Head-On' and 'The Edge Of Heaven'.... an entertaining trifle."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 08/12/10
KEY CITIES (10 Reviews)
Stephanie Merry, Washington Post: WEAK(cg) "There are worse things to be than frivolous and light.... But in the case of 'Soul Kitchen,' director and co-writer Fatih Akin may have taken fluff to an extreme."(See all of Stephanie Merry's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 444 words, 08/27/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a picture of a city, and a country, where cultural and ethnic assimilation seems to be moving forward, resiliently, optimistically.... everybody's in such a good mood."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 279 words, 09/03/10
Walter Addiego, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...it's carried along with comic energy and a buoyant soundtrack.... has a vitality that's difficult to resist."(See all of Walter Addiego's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 351 words, 11/24/10
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: VERY GOOD(cg) "...flirts with desperation and strains for comedy, but its heart and soul come naturally. To prove it, there's a vast orgy set to Curtis Mayfield's 'Get Down.' "(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 679 words, 08/27/10
Stephen Whitty, Cleveland Plain-Dealer: VERY GOOD(cg) "Adam Bousdoukos -- both an actor and chef in real life -- is delightful as this Greek transplant. Moritz Bleibtreu gives a strong performance as his terribly weak brother."(See all of Stephen Whitty's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 443 words, 09/10/10
John Hartl, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The slapsticky tone of Fatih Akin's latest work is more anarchic than heavenly, but the picture has its screwball charms."(See all of John Hartl's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 335 words, 09/10/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD(cg) "There's a breeziness to it, good performances by Moritz Bleibtreu as Zinos' slippery brother and Birol Unel as his fanatical new chef, and a peppy soundtrack."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 252 words, 09/10/10
Nicolas Rapold, Village Voice/LA Weekly: GOOD "As the hapless, devoted, herniated restaurateur, Adam Bousdoukos mugs, frets, and Frankenstein-walks with a winning excitability."(See all of Nicolas Rapold's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 194 words, 08/18/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...a broad, rough-around the edges comedy... All that's lacking is a food fight for a Hollywood version. And maybe Brendan Fraser in the lead role."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 175 words, 08/26/10
Scott Tobias, AV Club: EXCELLENT(cg) "...a crowd-pleaser made without cynicism or calculation. It's about a protagonist who strains to make everyone happy, and it does the same without breaking a sweat."(See all of Scott Tobias's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 355 words, 08/19/10
Fernando F. Croce, Slant: MODERATE(cg) "...it's harder to overlook the film's unexpectedly trite ear for music and willingness to trade cultural insight for obvious, crowd-pleasing gags..."(See all of Fernando F. Croce's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 453 words, 08/16/10
Susan G. Cole, Toronto Now: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...isn't nearly as soulful as Fatih Akin's more serious stuff, especially 'Head-On' and 'The Edge Of Heaven'.... an entertaining trifle."(See all of Susan G. Cole's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 217 words, 08/12/10
HIGHBROW PRESS (6 Reviews)
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...one of a kind... a modern flavor of love, with no layers of conventional development, and all traces of sentiment squeezed out.... the thing is bursting with life."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 530 words, 08/27/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...isn't laugh-out-loud-funny so much as warmly amusing. You don't feel pressured to ponder the deeper meaning of the geopolitical puzzle; it's just a fact of modern life."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 712 words, 08/20/10
Anthony Lane, New Yorker: MODERATE "Not to warm to this movie would be churlish, and foodies will drool on demand... Akin addicts, on the other hand, will emerge undernournished..."(See all of Anthony Lane's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 967 words, 08/30/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a film that delights in contrivance and improbability, but it does so with such a big-hearted sense of fun that it is hard not to be swept away."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 09/03/10
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...the coincidences pile atop each other and almost every scene ends in chaos, isn't necessarily Fatih Akin's strong suit.... [but] it is undeniably appealing."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 228 words, 05/03/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Derek Elley, Daily Variety: VERY GOOD "...hardly puts a foot wrong.... manages to juggle a large number of characters and cameos without leaving any of them feeling underdeveloped."(See all of Derek Elley's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 758 words, 09/10/09
Ray Bennett, Hollywood Reporter: VERY GOOD "Filled with boisterous good spirits... director Fatih Akim and cinematographer Rainer Klausmann make 'Soul Kitchen' a place for audiences to savor."(See all of Ray Bennett's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 488 words, 09/21/09
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: GOOD "...a film that delights in contrivance and improbability, but it does so with such a big-hearted sense of fun that it is hard not to be swept away."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 654 words, 09/03/10
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD "...isn't laugh-out-loud-funny so much as warmly amusing. You don't feel pressured to ponder the deeper meaning of the geopolitical puzzle; it's just a fact of modern life."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 712 words, 08/20/10
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal: EXCELLENT "...one of a kind... a modern flavor of love, with no layers of conventional development, and all traces of sentiment squeezed out.... the thing is bursting with life."(See all of Joe Morgenstern's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 530 words, 08/27/10
11.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Soul Kitchen's reviews are separated by an average 11.7 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.
Soul Kitchen (33 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Soul Kitchen's reviews cover 34.7% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 14,291 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 433 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 4 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Soul Kitchen's reviews on average broke 4 days before 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 Soul Kitchen's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Soul Kitchen (33 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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