Soul Kitchen

Think of Soul Kitchen as The Commitments gone culinary: scrappy underdog bar/eatery goes from tax-evading hangout for local ne'er-do-wells to made-over, trendy bistro—only to implode as a result of clashing personalities and feuding employees. Set in the hip enclave of Wilhelmsburg in Hamburg, Germany, the film's action centers around Zinos (Adam Bousdoukos), the owner of Soul Kitchen, and his hot girlfriend, Nadine (Pheline Roggan), who's off to China on a six-month reporting job. Although tempted to hire a manager so he can tag along with Nadine overseas, Zinos decides to stay put (the two rely on Skype to maintain their relationship). Soul Kitchen's fortunes miraculously change after Zinos hires the snooty Shayn (Birol Ünel)—a temperamental chef with creative ideas—coupled with the reappearance of Zinos' hot-headed, newly paroled brother, Illias (Moritz Bleibtreu), who plays DJ with stolen turntables. Before long, the joint is hopping with Hamburg's hip crowd, as Zinos' love life takes a dive. Although Turkish-German director Fatih Akin lets Soul Kitchen gradually dissolve into slapstick farce, the film is genuinely funny and sexy throughout, offering a vivid, street-level sense of a quirky city and its raucous oddball denizens. Highly recommended.. (M. Sandlin)