Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

rooprect In 1985, we were hit with the cinematic experience known as "Brazil" - a dark social satire like something George Orwell might've made if he were a comedian. Films like "Brazil" are characterized by thick irony surrounding a subtle satire. Some aspect of society is ridiculed through extremely bizarre circumstances that none of the characters seem to recognize as bizarre.Here's an example from "Kitchen Stories". A man is sitting in his kitchen baiting mousetraps with cheese. In the corner of the room sitting in a ludicrously high chair (giving its occupant the look of an overgrown toddler), a man in a suit sits watching and taking notes. Mousetrap man is doing his best to ignore the man in the chair. Tension is so thick you can choke on it. Then, just as mousetrap man baits the last trap....... (I won't ruin the gag).Of course you're probably reading this thinking "what's funny about that?" but that's the point: the humor defies logic. It must be seen to be understood. Like the scene in "Brazil" where two office workers are passive-aggressively fighting over a desk that they share through a wall, it's just something you have to see.While "Kitchen Stories" isn't as nightmarishly disturbing as "Brazil", it definitely exists in the same sort of alternate reality, somewhere between Franz Kafka (The Metamorphosis) and Leslie Nielsen (Airplane!).The plot is one of the most original ideas I've ever seen: Sometime in the 1950s, a kitchen appliance company conducts a study whereby single men are observed by men in suits who sit in high chairs. The biggest conflict is that the observers and subjects are not allowed to communicate or interact in any way, even though they are to spend months sharing a cramped kitchen.The sheer bizarreness of this setup had me howling for the first 30 minutes, but as the film unfolds and characters develop, we are drawn in on a much deeper level to the human story being told.That's probably all you need to know about the movie; the rest is for you to experience. So I'll just wrap up by giving you, as promised, a short list of movies I've seen that share this odd "Brazil"lian flavor. "The Visioneers (2008)" about people spontaneously combusting from stress, "In the Land of Milk and Money (2004)" about all the mothers in a suburban town going psycho, "The Firemen's Ball" (1967) Milos Forman's early socio-political satire set at a town festival, and I'll throw in the oddball satire that probably started them all, Orson Welles' "The Trial (1962)"."Kitchen Stories" is the tamest of the bunch, quiet and charming, somewhat realistic but every bit as bizarre as anything you've ever seen.

majic-5 This seems to be my week for male buddy movies. At the loud and exotic end of the spectrum was The Matador. Kitchen Stories lands at the quiet, domestic, and droll end. This is a slow, slight movie, almost completely predictable, and whose premise requires a large suspension of disbelief. But it taps into such a strong human desire — the need for companionship — that you can overlook these flaws, and enjoy its gentle humor and warm heart.I would write more if I had something extra to add to the existing universe of reviews about this movie. The critic James Berardinelli, however, has captured the essence of my reaction well, so I'll leave further commentary to him: http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/k/kitchen_stories.html.

tdowd-2 Picture sitting in a Psych 101 class, and being informed that part of your grade is to take a research survey. A graduate student plunks a stack of paper in front of you, and the first question asks whether you are Person Type A, Person Type B, or Person type C. Being person type R, this presents you with some difficulty. If that graduate student had watched Kitchen Stories, he would have realized that if you try to limit people into pre-determined roles, you sometimes end up missing some of the amazing things that they can do. This message is a playful gibe at social science research, but it opens up to be a much broader topic than you originally think. The characters in this movie, who are very different people, become wonderfully warm, lovable people by simply listening to one another. This is a message that our world might need to hear a lot more of. I'm not sure the casting could have been any better, as the two leads assume their personalities just so perfectly.

Electrohermit After watching this wonderfully original film, I could not help but ponder how in the world the writer managed to obtain the means for production, to put this story onto film. We are lucky those who read the script had the calm vision to see the genius. This is an absolute masterpiece of film making. As another member commented, many directors are afraid to allow the natural human pace to guide the energy of the film. Indeed, the tempo of the characters is core to the essence of the film and is truly educating. Everything works in this film, the dialogue the characters, the period. The movie reaches that special level of intelligence where it could easily come across boring, but every second keeps you captivated. And that is pure magic. The acting is impeccable and the dialogue utterly brilliant. This is a film that people will be watching hundreds of years from now. I give it a 10 out of 10, it is perfection.