WHAT'S COOKING?
US, 2000, 110 minutes.
Joan Chen, Mercedes Ruehl, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick, Julianna Margulies, Lainie Kazan, Denis Haysbert, Maury Chaykin.
Directed by Gurinda Chadha.
There have been several movies set on Thanksgiving Day: Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Home for the Holidays, The Myth of Fingerprints. The central focus, as in What's Cooking, is the Thanksgiving Dinner.
What's Cooking is directed by Gurinder Chadha, a British director, of Indian background whose movies include Bhaji at the Beach and Bend it like Beckham, movies which deal with multicultural groups within an Anglo- Saxon background. She has an innate sympathy and feel for the multi-racial group that is cooking in this LA melting-pot.
Looking at the issues which surface during the celebratory dinner, we find that there is nothing particularly new. Rather, the usual problems are set before us in a lively way, testing what we believe in as audience and making us consider why we may empathise with one character rather than another.
The issues in the Jewish household are the most controversial. Kyra Sedgwick is Rachel, the daughter, who is in a lesbian relationship with Carla, Julianna Margulies. They have decided to have a baby by a donor, one of their gay friends. Lainie Kazan's prayer at the dinner asks God for the gift of tolerance and understanding.
The other problems are the expected issues of culture, racial identity, prejudice, mixed-race marriages, infidelity and forgiveness.
The cast is strongest in its women, particularly Joan Chen (an actress of great versatility), Mercedes Ruehl and Alfre Woodard.
1. The importance of Thanksgiving for the Americans? A day of thanks, prayer, family, eating together, celebration?
2. The action of the film taking place mostly on Thanksgiving Day? The prologue with the governor's speech and his being doused with paint? The Thanksgiving play with the children at school? The indication of interracial relationships?
3. The Los Angeles settings? School, shops, homes, the streets? An authentic atmosphere? For the credibility of the characters? The musical score?
4. The title and its reference to the Thanksgiving meal? The scenes of preparation of food, the cooking? The overtones of Los Angeles and its multi racial composition? The multi racial melting pot and what's cooking?
5. The choice of different racial groups for the focus of Los Angeles and Thanksgiving? The absence of native American Indians except for Monica's reference? The nature of the racial mix in the United States?
6. The Jewish family: the mother and father at the supermarket, their age, experience, buying the turkey? The sauna in the backyard? Their daughter coming home, her companion? Their knowing the reality of the relationship, their avoiding mentioning it? The mother taking breakfast to the two women in their room, her reaction? Getting Carla and Rachel to help with the preparations? The father and their discussions? The arrival of the guests, the brother and the twins, his wife? The old uncle and aunt? The expression of prejudices, right wing stances, the status quo? Appearances? The aunt and her advice to Rachel? The discussion about the governor and his stances? Rachel's outburst against him? The announcement of her pregnancy, the surrogate father, his being gay? The discussions about the pregnancy, the growing up of the child, the father wanting to know who was the donor? The reaction of the uncle and aunt? The resolution of tensions at the end of the day?
7. The black family: Ronnie and his being a security guard for the governor, seeing his son throw the paint? Audrey and her shopping, with the young boy? Going to the airport to get her mother in law? Grace and her constant comments, implied criticisms about cooking? Audrey and her growing exasperation? Ronnie and the tension between them? The discussions about Michael and his absence? The white guests and the introduction of "traditional" white Americans? The bonds between the two families? Monica and her criticisms, opting out, her criticism of her father walking out on her mother? Her siding with Michael? Michael's sudden arrival? Audrey and Grace and their delight to see him? Grace asking everybody to declare something for which they were thankful? Michael and the revelation about the paint, about his father's affair? His apology to his mother, her eating so much, her weeping? The later reconciliation with Ronnie? Ronnie giving support to Michael for his Afro American studies?
8. The Vietnamese family, running the video shop? Gary and his not passing his exams, his sister finding the gun under his bed and her reaction, ringing her boyfriend, the clash in the shop? The cooking of the Turkey, Michael's phone call and explanations of his absence? The burnt turkey, Kentucky Fried instead? The traditional Asian food and its preparation and cooking? The extended family and the three generations working together? The daughter and their finding the condom, the mother's outburst, the daughter's exasperation? Gary and the issue of the gun, the confrontation in the family, the little boy playing with it, the shot? Michael hearing it, coming over? His girlfriend coming over and the attitude of the Vietnamese family to accepting outsiders?
9. The Hispanic family: Anthony and his wife shopping, meeting his father, inviting him? Lizzie and her relationship with the teacher? Her cooking, the preparation, the extended family all coming? Michael coming with his girlfriend and being accepted in the family? The dinner itself, Xavier turning up and the tension? Daniel later turning up and Xavier's reaction? His apology, wanting to reconcile with Lizzie, her refusal? The rest of the family watching, the tension with Anthony, his apology? The macho American stances, the criticisms by the women, especially the older generation? Michael and his hearing the gunshot on the phone, going over to his family across the street?
10. The irony that the four families lived on the four corners of the streets? Their coming out when the shot was fired? The interactions with Lizzie and Daniel teaching the youngsters, Michael and his girlfriend and his own family? The resolution of the problems? The future?
11. The tradition of Thanksgiving, Americans being thankful for all that they had been given? (Yet Monica and her ironic comment about "thankstaking"?) The surface of celebration and the tensions underneath, surfacing the tensions, resolutions?
