• Latest
  • Trending
La Cocina Review

La Cocina Review: Behind the Doors of The Grill

Eye for an Eye Review

Eye for an Eye Review: Florida Gothic Done Right

Alma and the Wolf Review

Alma and the Wolf Review: Ethan Embry Shines in a Flawed Fever Dream

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review

RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review: The Detective Who Couldn’t Investigate

Hi-Five Review

Hi-Five Review: An Origin Story on Fast-Forward

28 Years Later Review

28 Years Later Review: A Saga Begun, Not Ended

Soul Reaper Review

Soul Reaper Review: Indonesian Folk Horror That Haunts Your Dreams

Mindhunter

David Fincher Weighs Mindhunter Revival as Film Trilogy

8 hours ago
How to Train Your Dragon

‘Elio’ Lands With a Thud as Pixar Records Its Worst Opening Weekend

8 hours ago
Seth Rogen

Seth Rogen Courts Vin Diesel for ‘The Studio’ Season 2

8 hours ago
Jack Betts

Jack Betts, Spaghetti-Western Export and Spider-Man Board Chief, Dies at 96

8 hours ago
Amanda Seyfried

Here We Go Again? Seyfried, Craymer Push Mamma Mia 3 Forward

9 hours ago
Lynn Hamilton

Lynn Hamilton, Steady Star of ‘Sanford and Son,’ Dies at 95

9 hours ago
  • Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Gazettely Review Guidelines
Sunday, June 22, 2025
GAZETTELY
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    Mindhunter

    David Fincher Weighs Mindhunter Revival as Film Trilogy

    How to Train Your Dragon

    ‘Elio’ Lands With a Thud as Pixar Records Its Worst Opening Weekend

    Seth Rogen

    Seth Rogen Courts Vin Diesel for ‘The Studio’ Season 2

    Jack Betts

    Jack Betts, Spaghetti-Western Export and Spider-Man Board Chief, Dies at 96

    Amanda Seyfried

    Here We Go Again? Seyfried, Craymer Push Mamma Mia 3 Forward

    Lynn Hamilton

    Lynn Hamilton, Steady Star of ‘Sanford and Son,’ Dies at 95

    Owen Wilson

    Owen Wilson Rejoins Stiller and De Niro as ‘Meet the Parents 4’ Sets 2026 Release

    Pretty Little Liars Stars

    After Reboot’s Demise, Pretty Little Liars Cast Plots Big-Screen Return

    jackie chan and bruce lee

    Bruce Lee Returns—Digitally—as Beijing Launches $14 M Restoration Drive

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Eye for an Eye Review

    Eye for an Eye Review: Florida Gothic Done Right

    Alma and the Wolf Review

    Alma and the Wolf Review: Ethan Embry Shines in a Flawed Fever Dream

    Hi-Five Review

    Hi-Five Review: An Origin Story on Fast-Forward

    28 Years Later Review

    28 Years Later Review: A Saga Begun, Not Ended

    Soul Reaper Review

    Soul Reaper Review: Indonesian Folk Horror That Haunts Your Dreams

    Promised Hearts Review

    Promised Hearts Review: Melodrama Meets Existential Yearning

    Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review

    Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review – Conversations in the Dakota Shadows

    America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 Review

    America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 Review — From Tryouts to Takeover

    Pinch Review

    Pinch Review: Sharp Humor Meets Social Reckoning

  • Game Reviews
    RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review

    RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review: The Detective Who Couldn’t Investigate

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review – Revisiting a Sunken Legacy

    TRON: Catalyst Review

    TRON: Catalyst Review: More Style Than Substance

    FBC: Firebreak Review

    FBC: Firebreak Review: Corporate Chaos and Cooperative Action

    Date Everything Review 1

    Date Everything! Review: You’ll Never Look at Your Toaster the Same Way

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review: All Style, Less Story

    Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review

    Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review: A Dialogue With Tradition

    Yakuza 0 Director's Cut Review

    Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Review: Neon Lights and Brutal Fights

    Trident's Tale Review

    Trident’s Tale Review: Buried Treasure or Fool’s Gold?

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movie and TV News
    Mindhunter

    David Fincher Weighs Mindhunter Revival as Film Trilogy

    How to Train Your Dragon

    ‘Elio’ Lands With a Thud as Pixar Records Its Worst Opening Weekend

    Seth Rogen

    Seth Rogen Courts Vin Diesel for ‘The Studio’ Season 2

    Jack Betts

    Jack Betts, Spaghetti-Western Export and Spider-Man Board Chief, Dies at 96

    Amanda Seyfried

    Here We Go Again? Seyfried, Craymer Push Mamma Mia 3 Forward

    Lynn Hamilton

    Lynn Hamilton, Steady Star of ‘Sanford and Son,’ Dies at 95

    Owen Wilson

    Owen Wilson Rejoins Stiller and De Niro as ‘Meet the Parents 4’ Sets 2026 Release

    Pretty Little Liars Stars

    After Reboot’s Demise, Pretty Little Liars Cast Plots Big-Screen Return

    jackie chan and bruce lee

    Bruce Lee Returns—Digitally—as Beijing Launches $14 M Restoration Drive

  • Movie and TV Reviews
    Eye for an Eye Review

    Eye for an Eye Review: Florida Gothic Done Right

    Alma and the Wolf Review

    Alma and the Wolf Review: Ethan Embry Shines in a Flawed Fever Dream

    Hi-Five Review

    Hi-Five Review: An Origin Story on Fast-Forward

    28 Years Later Review

    28 Years Later Review: A Saga Begun, Not Ended

    Soul Reaper Review

    Soul Reaper Review: Indonesian Folk Horror That Haunts Your Dreams

    Promised Hearts Review

    Promised Hearts Review: Melodrama Meets Existential Yearning

    Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review

    Borrowed Time: Lennon’s Last Decade Review – Conversations in the Dakota Shadows

    America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 Review

    America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Season 2 Review — From Tryouts to Takeover

    Pinch Review

    Pinch Review: Sharp Humor Meets Social Reckoning

  • Game Reviews
    RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review

    RAIDOU Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army Review: The Detective Who Couldn’t Investigate

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review

    Still Wakes the Deep: Siren’s Rest Review – Revisiting a Sunken Legacy

    TRON: Catalyst Review

    TRON: Catalyst Review: More Style Than Substance

    FBC: Firebreak Review

    FBC: Firebreak Review: Corporate Chaos and Cooperative Action

    Date Everything Review 1

    Date Everything! Review: You’ll Never Look at Your Toaster the Same Way

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review

    Lost in Random: The Eternal Die Review: All Style, Less Story

    Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review

    Bravely Default: Flying Fairy HD Remaster Review: A Dialogue With Tradition

    Yakuza 0 Director's Cut Review

    Yakuza 0 Director’s Cut Review: Neon Lights and Brutal Fights

    Trident's Tale Review

    Trident’s Tale Review: Buried Treasure or Fool’s Gold?

  • The Bests
No Result
View All Result
GAZETTELY
No Result
View All Result
La Cocina Review

Monaghan Open to Live Cal - With the Right Story

Cuckoo Review: Schafer Soars in Splatterific Alps Outing

Home Entertainment Movies

La Cocina Review: Behind the Doors of The Grill

Ruizpalacios Announces Himself with Operatic Bravura

Naser Nahandian by Naser Nahandian
1 year ago
in Entertainment, Movies, Reviews
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on PinterestShare on WhatsAppShare on Telegram

Alonso Ruizpalacios brings a bold new flavor to the rapidly expanding genre of kitchen dramas with La Cocina. Though the Mexican director is relatively unknown to mainstream American audiences, cinephiles might remember his inventive heist film Museo, which explored Mexico’s complicated relationship with its own history.

In tackling La Cocina, Ruizpalacios returned to his roots as a London dishwasher, drawing inspiration from the hectic, high-stakes world behind the swinging doors. His loose adaptation of Arnold Wesker’s 1957 play The Kitchen infuses the source material with timely themes of immigrant exploitation in New York’s ruthless restaurant industry.

Yet Ruizpalacios also mines the connections and clashes between La Cocina’s melting pot of line cooks, prepping his script with equal parts brotherly bonds and macho posturing. Fans of the emerging kitchen drama genre spearheaded by The Bear and Boiling Point are sure to devour this spicy take, simmering with kinetic filmmaking to match its existential angst.

As the saccharine pop music fades and the first ticket spits out in La Cocina’s industrial fortress of stainless steel, we sense we’re in for a wholly original ride from an unheralded auteur. Strap on your aprons and prepare your palates, folks.

Simmering Tensions Boil Over

The sizzling chaos of La Cocina revolves around Pedro, played with electrifying intensity by Raúl Briones. As an undocumented line cook at The Grill in Times Square, Pedro channels his outsized dreams and talents into spinning magic behind the scenes. He’s desperate to prove his worth to the restaurant’s slippery owner Rashid (Oded Fehr), believing it will help him secure legal working papers.

But Pedro’s cocksure bravado also makes him enemies, including the humorless head chef (Lee R. Sellars) who seems perennially ready to boil over. His true soft spot is for Julia (Rooney Mara), a seen-it-all waitress carrying his unborn child. She spurns Pedro’s attempts to make their relationship more than a supply closet fling, focused solely on scraping up enough money for an abortion.

Tensions ignite when several hundred dollars goes missing from The Grill’s registers, implicating Pedro in the minds of colleagues already envious of his rapport with Rashid. As suspicions mount, a wicked game of telephone ensues between the dining room’s privileged servers and the immigrants manning the hot line.

In the lead-up to the manic Friday lunch shift, personal dramas collide with professional urgency. Pedro pleads for Julia to reconsider the pregnancy, fanning the flames with head chef in the process. We sense the pressure cooker about to explode.

In an operatic blowout scene, Pedro finally detonates, hurling curses that seem to give voice to The Grill’s oppressed kitchen workers. But there are casualties in his scorched earth meltdown, with jobs threatened and bonds severed. For Pedro, long-simmering questions of identity, purpose and belonging boil over in this foreign land he once saw as a beacon of opportunity.

Simmering the Melting Pot

Beneath its eye-popping pyrotechnics, La Cocina tackles resonant themes of exploitation and toxic masculinity with nuance. Ruizpalacios steeps his film in the irony of America’s “land of opportunity” promises, built on the backs of an invisible immigrant workforce.

La Cocina Review

The Grill’s gleaming metal galley is New York’s real melting pot, where Spanish and Arabic dance around English as the lingua franca. Here, the American Dream boils down to the scramble for better tips, longer hours, and maybe a visa sponsor if you kiss enough boot leather.

Ruizpalacios illuminates complex power dynamics through his ensemble. We empathize with Julia’s pragmatic choices, Pedro’s quixotic ambition, Rashid’s capricious authority. There are no easy heroes or villains in this murky moral universe.

Moments of grace emerge between battles, where comrades break bread and share cigarettes like war-weary soldiers. La Cocina celebrates the resilience of outsiders, finding humor and harmony amid shared sacrifice. As Pedro declares, “We might be fucked up, but at least we’re fucked up together.”

The kinetic interplay between ensemble and auteur yields spectacular results. Cinematographer Juan Pablo Ramírez casts most of the film in austere black-and-white, punctuated by expressionistic slow motion and symbolic pops of color. Feverish editing and theatrical flourishes capture the mental pressure cooker of lunch service, with all bets off in the rapturous final act.

Yet the style never overwhelms the substance. For all its operatic extremes, La Cocina keeps its eyes locked on the humanity at stake in Pedro’s quixotic last stand. Beneath the braggadocio and bravura lies a sympathetic portrait of marginalized men raging against their own powerlessness.

Leads Who Leave a Lasting Impression

In the talented hands of Raúl Briones, Pedro bristles with bravado yet radiates vulnerability. He’s a lover and a fighter, as quick to toss out a crushing insult as an impassioned ode. Pedro wears the mantle of macho chef with predictable bluster, but his tenderness for Julia suggests a more progressive heart.

La Cocina Review

We root for Pedro as the underdog, while realizing his obstacles are largely self-constructed. His eagerness to please Rashid, despite all evidence of exploitation, becomes a tragic flaw. But when backed into a corner, Pedro unleashes a righteous rage—a cathartic release giving voice to so many voiceless immigrants.

As his counterweight, Rooney Mara brings flinty edge to Julia’s seen-it-all wisdom. She too has been down rocky roads, sizing up Pedro’s schemes with over-it exasperation. Yet their off-hour moments reveal genuine care beneath Julia’s no-nonsense exterior. We sense the tough choices she’s made to retain control over her destiny amid circumstances beyond her power.

Among the colorful supporting players, Nonzo emerges as the sage elder. The Zen-like pastry chef dispenses nuggets of insight along with desserts, his lyrical monologues adding shades of poetry. Meanwhile lethal glares from the crisp-headed head chef remind us of the capricious gods who rule The Grill’s mythical underworld.

By the messy end, Ruizpalacios has steered us to empathy for all combatants in La Cocina’s emotional arena. There are no simple villains within those swinging doors—just men and women fighting not to drown in the deep waters of American industry.

Alchemy Behind the Lens

Cinematographer Juan Pablo Ramírez casts his imaginative lens on the chaos with style and substance. Shot largely in gorgeously textured black-and-white, La Cocina resembles an anarchist’s dream of Metropolis. Ramirez wields his camera with balletic grace, the fluid takes mirroring the intricate kitchen choreography.

La Cocina Review

When the lens ventures outside The Grill’s steely fortress, daylight washes faces in revelation. Pedro and Julia steal moments by a whimsical lobster tank, finding suspended beauty amid gritty realities.

Ruizpalacios alternates aspect ratios like courses, widening the frame when relief arrives from claustrophobic pressure. The transitions signify the pendulum swing between individuation and community in tight quarters.

But the pièce de résistance comes during the infamous Friday lunch surge, captured in a bravura 12-minute oner. Weaving between bodies and sizzling pans, the careening camera becomes a stand-in for the viewer, reeling at the coordinated madness. It’s a technical showstopper, as graceful as a Scorsese tracking shot.

Equally impressive are subtle symbolic touches, like flickers of rainbow light offering glimpses of Pedro’s idealism, or lenses blurring with ghostly faces from his Mexican past. Meanwhile, intricate foley work ensures no sauce simmers or blade chops without resonance.

By la cocina’s close, Ramírez’s lens basks the survivors in magic hour relief. They smoke, laugh, cry, breathing freedom however fleeting. After the symphonic chaos of The Grill, we emerge reborn through Ruizpalacios’ raw yet ravishing craft.

A New Classic Is Served

Like a stellar meal, La Cocina lingers long after the plates are cleared. Alonso Ruizpalacios has whipped up a kitchen drama both innovative and classic, blending theatrical bravura with social realism. He steeps vintage tropes in modern anxieties, serving up a timeless fable about exploited laborers seeking dignity.

La Cocina Review

In the process, Ruizpalacios announces himself as a directorial talent to watch. His daring stylistic flourishes never overwhelm the humanity at La Cocina’s core. We ache for Pedro’s quixotic dreams and Julia’s resilience, as much as their undocumented comrades.

The film deserves to be savored for its craftsmanship and catharsis. With its potent themes resonating ever louder, La Cocina is primed for a long run in the cultural conversation. Like other contemporary masterworks about marginalized communities—The Wire, Parasite, Atlanta—it wields kinetic style in service of stark truths.

Ruizpalacios has crafted both an audacious spectacle and a sympathetic snapshot of America’s simmering underclass. La Cocina leaves viewers nourished, intrigued, and eager to pass the word about an outsider artist poised to shake up the mainstream.

The Review

La Cocina

9 Score

La Cocina serves up a uniquely flavorful addition to the kitchen drama genre. Alonso Ruizpalacios directs with bold vision yet thoughtful nuance, steeping his ensemble in humanity. At turns chaotic, tender and tragicomic, the film celebrates bonds forged through fire. Buoyed by magnetic performances and virtuosic craft, La Cocina heralds an audacious new talent while bringing marginalized voices to the forefront. This spicy fable satisfyingly nourishes both heart and mind.

PROS

  • Kinetic direction and cinematography
  • Magnetic lead performances
  • Timely exploration of immigrant exploitation
  • Moments of grace and resonance amidst chaos
  • Ambitious tonal and style shifts
  • Overall strong technical filmmaking

CONS

  • Overlong runtime
  • Occasional overly theatrical/symbolic flourishes
  • Uneven pacing and tonal disjunctions
  • Plot convolutions and credibility issues

Review Breakdown

  • Overall 0
Tags: Alonso RuizpalaciosDramaFeaturedKerry ArdraLa CocinaLeo James DavisMaría Fernanda BosqueRaúl BrionesShavanna CalderWestern
Previous Post

Monaghan Open to Live Cal – With the Right Story

Next Post

Cuckoo Review: Schafer Soars in Splatterific Alps Outing

Try AI Movie Recommender

Gazettely AI Movie Recommender

This Week's Top Reads

  • Marshmallow Review

    Marshmallow Review: These Woods Hide Unexpected Secrets

    4 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • We Were Liars Season 1 Review: Paradise Lost on Beechwood Island

    6 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Art Detectives Review: The Case of the Brilliant Man and the Underwritten Woman

    166 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mix Tape Review: A Story Told on Two Sides of a Cassette

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Boglands Review: Shadows and Whispers in the Irish Mist

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The Librarians: The Next Chapter Season 1 Review – Bridging Eras with Spellbinding Charm

    44 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Patience Review: Challenging Stereotypes in Crime Drama

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Must Read Articles

28 Years Later Review
Movies

28 Years Later Review: A Saga Begun, Not Ended

7 hours ago
F1: The Movie Review
Movies

F1: The Movie Review: An Engineered Ecstasy That Sputters at the Finish

4 days ago
Elio Review
Movies

Elio Review: Lost in a Beautiful Cosmos

4 days ago
K.O. Review
Movies

K.O. Review: This Heavyweight Contender Lands Solid, If Predictable, Blows

5 days ago
The Chelsea Detective Season 3 Review
Entertainment

The Chelsea Detective Season 3 Review: The Moral Topography of a Postal Code

5 days ago
Loading poll ...
Coming Soon
Who is the best director in the horror thriller genre?

Gazettely is your go-to destination for all things gaming, movies, and TV. With fresh reviews, trending articles, and editor picks, we help you stay informed and entertained.

© 2021-2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

What’s Inside

  • Movie & TV Reviews
  • Game Reviews
  • Featured Articles
  • Latest News
  • Editorial Picks

Quick Links

  • Home
  • About US
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Review Guidelines

Follow Us

Facebook X-twitter Youtube Instagram
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Movies
  • Entertainment News
  • Movie and TV Reviews
  • TV Shows
  • Game News
  • Game Reviews
  • Contact Us

© 2024 All Rights Reserved for Gazettely

Go to mobile version