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Review by Susan Granger
3 stars out of 4
This tasty cinematic Thanksgiving celebration gently
interweaves the tension and turmoil of four different Los Angeles
families as they prepare turkey, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie for
the traditional dinner - along with tamales, spring rolls, kugel,
macaroni & cheese. There's also sex, politics and prejudice on the
menu, along with philandering husbands, stressed-out wives, prodigal
sons, rebellious daughters, meddling grandparents, plus estranged and
just plain strange relatives. These surprisingly interconnected
Jewish, African-American, Latino and Vietnamese families relish their
diversity while acknowledging their buoyant, bonding similarities and
generational conflicts. Under the kaleidoscopic direction of British
film-maker Gurinder Chada ("Bhaji on the Beach"), who wrote the
screenplay with Paul Mayeda Berges, the excellent and extensive
ensemble cast includes Alfre Woodard, Julianna Margulies, Kyra
Sedgwick, Joan Chen, Mercedes Ruehl, and Maury Chaykin. Unlike Jodie
Foster's "Home for the Holidays" (1995) about a dysfunctional family,
these frustrated pilgrims are simply coping with the all-too-real
problems within the contemporary American melting-pot of cultures -
even if, at times, the flavorful syrup spills over into contrived
cliches, stereotypes and sentimentality. Credit Jong Lin ("Eat, Drink,
Man, Woman") for the mouth-watering, almost surreal cinematography,
emblematic of the culinary heritage of the respective ethnic groups
and Janice Hampton for judicious editing that allows you to follow
each story clearly. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, "What's
Cooking?" is a sumptuous, succulent, spicy 7, a joyous, nurturing
cornucopia, timed for gleeful holiday viewing.
Copyright © 2000 Susan Granger
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out of 4
