Product Details

• Actors: Wilma Stephenson
• Directors: Jennifer Grausman, Mark Becker
• Format: Color, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: FIRST RUN FEATURES
• DVD Release Date: April 20, 2010
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0035QBRCQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #119,229 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Pressure Cooker" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Review

I grew a deep hunger while watching 'Pressure Cooker', not just from the students' mouthwatering dishes, but from the fact that teacher/chef Wilma Stephenson could uniformly inspire such success. --Matthew Sorrento, Film Threat

**** Excellent! A fitting tribute to a selfless role model with an big heart and an indomitable spirit. Let's face it, they don't make 'em like Wilma Stephenson anymore. --Kam Williams, Newsblaze

Both a tribute to a teacher who actually cares and kids who actually want to learn. Would that there were more people like them. --V.A. Musetto, NY Post

Product Description

There's a force-of-nature behind the door to Room 325 at Frankford High School in Philadelphia. Her name is Wilma Stephenson and she teaches Culinary Arts. Infamously blunt, Mrs. Stephenson runs a "boot camp" at Frankford, disciplining her students into capable chefs and responsible students. A teacher for 40 years, Wilma can be cantankerous - but behind her tough talking exterior is a teacher who cares passionately about getting the best out of her kids. She'll do anything for those students with the hunger to succeed; those who fall short will not be missed - many will drop out before the first week is over.

PRESSURE COOKER documents an entire school year with Wilma and those students committed enough to surrender themselves to her enlightened despotism. By the end of the year, 13 of her students will have made it through the gauntlet. At a school where over 40% of students don t even make it to their senior year, Wilma shows her kids how to achieve the American Dream: You choose a realistic goal. You work hard. You work the system. You get out of Northeast Philly.

At the end of the year, there is a one-day scholarship competition, where the city's top chefs judge the students' skills and talent. Success depends on their capacity for sustained drive throughout their senior year. Can they endure the stressful challenges wrought by their home lives - holding minimum wage jobs after school, being surrogate parents to their siblings - while still finding the motivation to wake up at 6AM to get to class early enough to master crepes and tournee potatoes...?

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You will laugh, cry and even learn to peel potatoes in this FABULOUS film! December 19, 2010

By Steven I. Ramm TOP 100 REVIEWER

Format:DVD

I live in Philadelphia, where this wonderful, heartfelt documentary was filmed and yet I had never heard of the film and - the real surprise - none of the story was ever covered in our local papers! But, boy, am I glad I discovered it this week. I couldn't leave my seat as the story unfolded of an amazing high school teacher, Wilma Stephenson, tries to teach Culinary Arts to a class of kids from low-income neighborhood in Northeast Philly. Not only do you care about Stephenson (still teaching after more than 45 years at Frankford High School) but also you'll remember some of the students long after the DVD leaves your player. There's Tyree, who plays championship football for the school and makes crepes in Stephenson's class. Erica is a cheerleader who helps raise her younger sister who is blind. Then there is Fatoumata who was brought to America from Africa to live with her father when her mother decided she didn't want her any more. All come from broken homes and have a tough road ahead. Stephenson is like a football coach in the kitchen and is the only steady part of the lives of these kids.

Think of this as a Hoop Dreams for cooks. The story follows the annual scholarship competition (with prizes to $80,000!) and its much more interesting than Top Chef or any of the other reality shows on cable TV.

The bonus features include six deleted scenes and updates on Stephenson and the students. There's also a study guide that you can access via your PC (but I haven't tried that yet.)

If you found this review and are on the fence about whether it is worth getting and watching, don't be. If it has half the emotional effect on you as it did on me, you are in for a fabulous emotional ride.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A story of hope and hard work February 8, 2010

By Artist

Format:DVD

Through the narratives presented in "Pressure Cooker" we see one woman (Wilma) whose fierce belief in her students helps them to believe in themselves. The intense training in the kitchen helps these Philadelphia based high school students learn how to work towards a goal, and hopefully reap the rewards at the final scholarship competition.

Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker lead us through the streets of Philadelphia with skill and beauty, leaving us inspired by their expert presentation of this thankfully true story. Pressure Cooker

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars ***best documentary, MUST SEE*** September 22, 2010

By citigrl

Format:DVD

I have seen this movie a three times. I saw it in a film festival, then I rented it on Netflix, and now I OWN it. I have shown it to friends who come over and they have all LOVED it. PRESSURE COOKER is so inspiring... The students in this film are remarkable, and the teacher, wow, she is hardcore, no joke! I am not sure I would make it in her classroom, however, these kids not only make it, but their lives are forever changed for the better. Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker, the film makers, are ones to look out for; they make a great team. I will be sure to watch their next film when it comes out, whatever it may be! PRESSURE COOKER has heart, drama, suspense, and joy all rolled into 99 minutes. I wholeheartedly recommend this film to anyone, at any stage of life whether you are a student, or a retired individual. You will be drawn into the lives of these incredible students and their no-nonsense teacher in this remarkable story.