Soul Kitchen

by Edwin Ouellette | 4:36 am 23/08/2010

Directed by Fatih Akin Rialto 3.5/5

Okay, I know. The title alone might make Soul Kitchen sound like a cross between a lame Snoop Dogg flick and Hell’s Kitchen, but don’t let that ruin your appetite for Fatih Akin’s latest lighthearted comedy. Besides, where else can you find a healthy dose of soul music, random sex, drugs, a crusty sea captain, aphrodisiac desserts, and a bone-crunching naturopathic Turkish doctor all rolled into one film?

   Greek-German chef Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos), owner of Soul Kitchen – a cheap eats restaurant in Hamburg – has been handed an extra serving of life’s lemons. When his girlfriend Nadine (Pheline Roggan) leaves for Shanghai, his thief brother Illias (Moritz Bleibtreu) starts mooching cash, and the tax collectors start liquidating his assets, things are looking down. But when Zinos hires out-of-work chef Shayn Weiss (Birol Ünel), his crummy restaurant is transformed into a fine, soul-music-bumpin’ eatery. Life is finally looking groovy. Unfortunately, devious property developer Thomas Neumann (Wotan Wilke Mohring) hatches a plot to steal the restaurant and oust Zinos. And, once again, life is taking a giant shat on the hapless Greek, as things go from crazy to ridiculous.

   This modern-day Job story is simple, goofy, and unsurprising. Indeed, the film doesn’t deviate too far from the tried and true recipe. But the actors are believable and entertaining, the cinematography is vibrant and thoughtful, and the music delicious. All in all, it’s a satisfying little film – not exactly gourmet quality, but certainly better than the sort of fatty slop clogging the arteries of most theatres nowadays.

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