“Then get the *flip* out of our way.”

From The Kitchen.

Ruby (Tiffany Haddish) is the unaccepted daughter-in-law, Claire (Elisabeth Moss) is the battered wife, and Kathy (Melissa McCarthy) is the faithful mother of two; the only thing that these women have in common is that their husbands (James Badge Dale, Jeremy Bobb, and Brian d’Arcy James) work for the Irish mob in 1978 Hell’s Kitchen.  When a job goes wrong and their husbands are arrested, the women are left with nothing except what the Family (led by Margo Martindale and Myk Watford) can give them, which turns out to be practically nothing.  Against the advice of her father (Wayne Duvall), Kathy joins Claire and Ruby so they can take matters into their own hands to take on collections and protection where the Irish mob has failed.  Things are off to a rocky start for them until a hitman, Gabriel (Domhnall Gleeson), moves back to the City and provides the extra muscle that the women need to successfully run the neighborhood.  Facing opposition from practically every side, things take a much more serious tone when the women take some customers from Italian-run Brooklyn and are forced to join an uneasy alliance with their neighboring Italian mob boss (Bill Camp).  With the body count rising and the streets of Hell’s Kitchen obviously changing, two FBI agents (Common and E.J. Bonilla) return to the neighborhood, searching to see who is calling the shots while the leading men are in prison.  As Kathy, Ruby, and Claire fight to keep control of the neighborhood, they also struggle with gaining what they truly want: freedom, safety, and acceptance.

Loosely inspired by a true story and the comic book series that followed, this crime drama is filled with solid acting and unexpected developments to create an unbelievable story.  McCarthy, Haddish, and Moss are all drastically different personalities, but each is perfectly suited to bring their character to life onscreen.  The movie is developed in such a way that the constant plot twists keeps viewers engaged, but surprised with the story.  Viewers will find The Kitchen to be an enjoyable look (albeit a rough and violent one) at the not-so-distant past of New York City.

| Rated: R | Running Time: 103 minutes |Genre: crime/drama/biography |

||Family Viewing||Cursing: 8* of 10|Nudity: 0 of 10|Sexuality: 1 of 10|Gore: 7 of 10

|AVAILABLE FOR HOME VIEWING|