Cook Off!

A group of quirky people is competing in a famed cooking contest for the grand prize of one million dollars.{{cite web|url= https://theplaylist.net/cook-off-trailer-20170919/|title='Cook-Off!' Trailer: Long Shelved Melissa McCarthy Comedy Finally Sees The Light of Day|work=The Playlist|last1=Jagernauth|first1=Kevin|date=September 19, 2017|accessdate=October 19, 2017}}

{{Expand section|date=January 2019}}

{{castlist|

• Cathryn Michon{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/09/cook-off-trailer-melissa-mccarthy-wendi-mclendon-covey-movie-video-1202173392/|title= 'Cook Off!' Trailer: Melissa McCarthy Comedy Reheated Ten Years Later|date=September 19, 2017|work=Deadline|last1=Hipes|first1=Patrick|accessdate=October 19, 2017}} as Sharon Solfest
• Melissa McCarthy as Amber Strang
• Wendi McLendon-Covey as Pauline Solfest
• Ben Falcone as Cameron Strang
• Gary Anthony Williams as Lars Hagerbakke
• Stephen Root as Morty Van Rookle
• Diedrich Bader as Del Crawford
• Niecy Nash as Ladybug Briggs
• Louie Anderson as Mayor Doug Halverson
• Marcia Wallace as Herself
• Gavin MacLeod as Himself
• Markie Post as Christine Merriweather
• Jordan Black as Markus Briggs
• Steve Little as Muffin Man
• Sam Pancake as David Lord
• Paul Willson as Mike Sweazy
• Jack Plotnick as Timothy Whims
• Cristine Rose as Victoria Dougherty
• Phil LaMarr as Reverend Thaddeus Briggs, Esq.
• Jennifer Elise Cox as Cassandra Dougherty
• Cedric Yarbrough as Jericho
• Romy Rosemont as Patty Pasternak
• Roy Jenkins as Richard Pasternak
• Jim Rash as Beauregard St. Pompadeux
• Karen Maruyama as Lee Nguyen
• S.A. Griffin as Dave Carriere
• Melissa Peterman as Nancy Shmaedeke
• Mindy Sterling as Mrs. Burris
• Mo Collins as Van Rookle Farms Housewife
• Annie Mumolo as Moonlight Girl
• Tara Subkoff as Mayor's Assistant
• W. Bruce Cameron as EMT

}}

The film was already finished by 2007, but was shelved without explanation for a decade. In September 2017, Lionsgate Premiere reportedly was to finally release the film.{{cite web|url= https://www.vulture.com/2017/09/cook-off-trailer-melissa-mccarthy-gets-her-hands-dirty.html|title=Cook-Off! Trailer: Melissa McCarthy Gets Her Hands (and Face) Dirty|work=Vulture|date=September 19, 2017|accessdate=October 19, 2017}} Lionsgate had reportedly edited the film prior to release by cutting 20 minutes of footage and adding 22 minutes of previously unused footage.{{cite web|url= http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/trailers/news/a838670/cook-off-trailer-melissa-mccarthy/|title= Melissa McCarthy movie Cook-Off! finally gets a release date and trailer after sitting on the shelf for 10 years|work=Digital Spy|date=September 21, 2017|last1=Fletcher|first1=Rosie|accessdate=October 19, 2017}}

The film made its worldwide premiere at the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado, in February 2007.{{cite web|url= http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/upcoming-movies/melissa-mccarthys-latest-film-cookoff-is-actually-10-years-old/news-story/8154d18fec5a6958e320f1e7170d538b|title=Melissa McCarthy's latest film is actually 10 years old|last1=Bond|first1=Nick|date=September 21, 2017|accessdate=October 19, 2017}} The film was released in theaters and on VOD on November 17, 2017.{{cite web|url= https://www.cinemablend.com/news/1705319/cook-off-trailer-watch-melissa-mccarthy-try-her-hand-at-a-mockumentary|title=Cook Off! Trailer: Watch Melissa McCarthy Try Her Hand At A Mockumentary|work=CinemaBlend|date=21 September 2017 |accessdate=October 19, 2017}}

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an average rating of 25% based on eight reviews, with an average rating of 6.20/10.{{cite web |url= https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/cook_off/ |title= Cook Off! (2017) |work= Rotten Tomatoes |access-date= May 14, 2021 }}

John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter writes, "Cook Off! piles some better-than-this comedians into a culinary competition whose dishes look as unpalatable as the film itself."{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/cook-1059635/|title='Cook Off': Film Review|first1=T. H. R.|last1=Staff|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=17 November 2017|accessdate=11 August 2021}} Ben Kenigsberg of The New York Times writes: "The movie tries to do for amateur cooking contests what Best in Show did for dog competitions, but the strained folksiness and tired stereotypes couldn’t be further from the snap and wit of prime Christopher Guest.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/movies/review-cook-off-melissa-mccarthy.html|title=Review: 'Cook Off!' Gives Chefs the 'Best in Show' Treatment|first=Ben|last=Kenigsberg|work=The New York Times |date=16 November 2017|accessdate=11 August 2021|via=NYTimes.com}} Michael Rechtshaffen of the Los Angeles Times writes, "Wafting into theaters after sitting on the back burner for the last decade, Cook Off! is a shrill, gloppy mess of a mockumentary being served up well past its "best before" date — if there ever actually were one."{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-mini-cook-off-review-20171116-story.html|title=Review: Stale mockumentary 'Cook Off!' misses its mark|date=16 November 2017|website=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=11 August 2021}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|0493407}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|cook_off}}

Category:2007 comedy films

Category:2007 films

Category:American mockumentary films

Category:Cooking films

Category:Films about food and drink

Category:Lionsgate films

Category:2000s English-language films

Category:2000s American films

Category:English-language comedy films

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