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Movies / On DVD / The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover

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The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover (1989)

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93 %
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Reviews Counted:30

Fresh:28

Rotten:2

Average Rating:7.4/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 4 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Master director Greenaway (THE PILLOW BOOK) outdoes himself with this grisly fairy tale. The thief, Albert Spica, (Gambon) is a gangster, repugnant and boorish, who holds court at the same table in... Master director Greenaway (THE PILLOW BOOK) outdoes himself with this grisly fairy tale. The thief, Albert Spica, (Gambon) is a gangster, repugnant and boorish, who holds court at the same table in his opulent restaurant every night surrounded by his lackeys (Tim Roth and the late Ian Dury included). When his cultured and repressed wife Georgina (Mirren) becomes magnetically attracted to a solitary diner in the restaurant, the two begin a secret affair under the nose of her dangerous husband. With the help of the restaurant's chef, the time the lovers share is kept secret from the vicious Albert...for a while. Despite the breathtaking production design and artful camera work, this violent, disturbing and very darkly comic work is not for everyone. Those with the stomach for it, however, will reap generous rewards. [More]

Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon, Richard Bohringer, Alan Howard

Starring: Helen Mirren, Michael Gambon, Richard Bohringer, Alan Howard, Tim Roth, Ciaran Hinds, Ian Dury, Gary Olsen

Director: Peter Greenaway

Director: Peter Greenaway
Screenwriter: Peter Greenaway
Composer: Michael Nyman
Producer: Kees Kasander

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Edinburgh U Film Society | comment Comment
01/01/00
Keith H. Brown
Keith H. Brown
Edinburgh U Film Society

Still the most lavishly offensive of Greenaway's films.

Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
09/01/09
Rob Nelson
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
10/18/08
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Highly stylized and elegant Jacobean revenge tale over adultery and jealousy that rolls against the taste buds like a mouth full of hot pepper.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
10/15/07
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

No review available.

comment Comment
03/09/06
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
F5 (Wichita, KS)

No review available.

comment Comment
09/14/05
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/19/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
12/31/04
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals

No review available.

comment Comment
12/27/04
John Esther
John Esther
Pasadena Weekly

The Cook, the Thief. His Wife and Her Lover is a dark and grim morality play about our insatiable appetite for cruelty and power.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/30/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

No review available.

comment Comment
04/02/04
Robin Clifford
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
01/11/04
Mike McGranaghan
Mike McGranaghan
Aisle Seat

Startling and bold!

comment Comment
10/17/03
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
10/12/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

Singular and unforgettable, but also grotesque and hyper-inflated; hard to pass up, but harder to sit through.

comment Comment
08/16/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
06/19/03
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
06/19/03
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/20/03
Caryn James
Caryn James
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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