Skate Kitchen (2018) Reviews

• It's Just A Good Teen Story & That's Enough

  LouieInLove2018-10-21

  There is no message or lecture in this film. It's just a good teen female story & that's enough. I've seen several attempts at teen-realism movies in the past few years which fall flat on their... because of a heavy PC lecture element which really turns folk off. Thankfully Skate Kitchen does not do that & that is one of the reasons for its success - it's just a good story. 'Teen-realism' is obviously tongue-in-cheek because no movie is ever realistic. But I like the world created by the writer/director here. It's harnessed a fairytale vibe which is no bad thing in a story of about young women. It allows the beauty/femininity of the characters to come through which allows the audience to empathise. This un-PC man liked it.

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• The skatepark version of Lady Bird

  DJKwa2018-07-16

  //Revelation Film Festival Review// Watching Skate Kitchen is like reconnecting with a group of friends you haven't seen for ages but upon meeting up its like not even a day has passed. It's a breezy, relentlessly entertaining coming of age story that's a delight to watch. Set amongst the New York subculture, the story focuses on Camille (newcomer Rachelle Vinberg), an 18 year-old Long Island teen who runs away from home to join a female skateboarding posse called Skate Kitchen. Connecting with the group as a kindred spirit, Camille struggles to reconcile her strained relationship with her mother with her newfound sense of belonging. Much like this year's best picture nominee Lady Bird, Skate Kitchen will prove instantly relatable to anyone who struggled to fit in during their formative years.

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• Not a Film That I Would Expect to Like, Yet I Did

  larrys32018-12-01

  Successfully using non-professional actors at the time (with the exceptions of Elizabeth Rodriguez and Jaden Smith) this quasi-documentary centers on the NYC female skateboarding collective known as Skate Kitchen. It falls short at times, but overall I found it another fascinating film from director Crystal Moselle (The Wolfpack). Although I'm way out of the intended demographic of the movie, I still was quite engaged and interested in the characters of the Skate Kitchen. With the exception of the lead here Camille (Rachelle Vinberg), we really don't find out a lot about the backgrounds or history of these teens. Thus, the movie is more about the portrayal of female friendship and bonding at this age, with the, at times, inevitable crossing paths with some male skateboarders. Not a film that I would expect to like, yet I was taken in by the intimate portrayal of these teens, while trying not to judge their futures.

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• Skate Kitchen cooks up an interesting and different genre of filmmaking

  silverturquoise2019-01-08

  I watched this little gem of a film recently with my teenage daughter, and we were pleasantly surprised and intrigued by the style of this film. It's got a documentary feel to it that is very natural and freewheeling. The freedom of the kids that comprise Skate Kitchen gave me nostalgia going back 40 years to the summers I spent with my teenage tribe roaming free and having fun together. A beautiful thing. The storyline of Camille who feels so alone until she reaches out and connects with her tribe of female skaters is so relatable - it's a great coming of age theme and a great feminist theme as well. Besides this layer of finding your tribe, the film also explores the whole culture of urban skateboarding - something I knew nothing about and really enjoyed immersing myself in during the film. The other layer of the storyline that I thought was well done was Camille's journey of shifting custody among her parents to try to get what she needed at different stages of her childhood and adolescence - it was heartbreaking and gave insight into her character. After watching the film, I was very curious how it was made, and I think it's really interesting that Skate Kitchen collaborated on the script and formed part of the ensemble for the film. My daughter thought so much of the film, especially the dialogue, felt very natural/real. I think the director and the cast did a great job with this film. It's a big risk to put your real life and real story on the screen and dedicate so much time scripting and telling it in a novel way.

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• Slice of summer life in Manhattan, girl skateboarder group who call themselves 'Skate Kitchen.'

  TxMike2018-12-20

  My wife and I watched this movie at home on DVD from our public library. It is somewhere between documentary and drama, all the 'actors' are girls who are members of the real Skate Kitchen group of skateboarders in New York City. It fairly accurately represents their real lives but the story itself is fictional. The female filmmaker encountered two of them, with their skateboards, on the G train. Interested, she introduced herself and asked "are there more of you?" And that was the genesis of this movie. It takes place during one summer. It is really a slice of life focusing more on one character living on Long Island, Camille, who just turned 18 and had some freedom to break away from her single mom's restrictions. She looks up a skate meeting event in Lower Manhattan, goes over to see what was happening, and gradually became friends with the others. There are the usual difficulties, including ridicule from the boys, but the girls bond. I realize the movie contains exactly what the filmmaker intended, but I found myself wanting more. What kind of future do these young girls, and their young boy counterparts , have after high school? Will they be content with working at low-paying jobs to barely make ends meet while they spend most of their spare time skateboarding and watching their videos? What prospects do they have to climb a bit and pursue a more meaningful vocation? Or is skateboarding meaningful enough for them? I can identify with all this because my own son was one of these skateboarding teens. Then he went on to a job as a bicycle messenger. By the time he got to be 25 he realized he didn't want to do that all his adult life so went to college and converted that into a good career. I will continue to wonder what the girls of Skate Kitchen will go on to. I have not been able to find an explanation of their name, Skate Kitchen, perhaps it was inspired by the Manhattan area known as Hell's Kitchen.

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