Critic Reviews
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Tom Long, Detroit News
It celebrates individuality, hidden artistry, uncelebrated brilliance and the essence of the American spirit and is a general gas to watch.
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John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press
The security-camera visuals and intrusive button microphone jutting into the frame give the movie an appealing fly-on-the-wall quality, successfully capturing the old Shopsin's experience for posterity.
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Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
The central figure in this exuberant documentary, a committed Freudian who probably would've tossed Freud himself out had he looked at him sideways, spouts one gem after another.
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Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
... an unabashedly home-cooked homage to New York eccentricity.
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Lou Lumenick, New York Post
An irresistible no-budget documentary.
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Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
Anyone who laments the loss of an older, grittier New York ought to adore this affectionate portrait of Greenwich Village restaurant owner Kenny Shopsin.
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Kam Williams, EURWeb
I like Kenny Shopsin!
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Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
I like Kenny Shopsin!
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Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope
Viewers will either like it, as I did, or hate it, based on Kenny Shopsin's abrasive, but fascinating personality.
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Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone, TheMovieChicks.com
The story is okay and at times quite entertaining, but it does not make for a compelling drama that you have to rush out and see.
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Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
The food looks scrumptious and the video is carried along through the strength of the idiosyncratic and blustery chef.
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Ross Anthony, Hollywood Report Card
As oddly direct and quirky as its title. Its audio track would play great on "This American Life."
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Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
You can't go home again, the film reminds us, and you can never eat the same meal twice. At least not at Shopsin's.
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Eric Lurio, Entertainment Insiders
Shopsin is a character. He's loud, lewd and fat, speaks his mind on just about every subject known to man, and is beloved by his regular customers, who follow him to his new digs.
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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
A colorful and offbeat documentary about Kenny Shopsin, a cook, entrepreneur, and raconteur in a popular Greenwich Village restaurant.
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Maitland McDonagh, TV Guide's Movie Guide
[Shopsin is] a small piece of New York history, and Mahurin's film is the portrait he deserves: small, noisy and oddly engaging beneath the bluster.
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Pam Grady, Reel.com
It is a joy of a movie. But watching it hungry -- at least for those of us outside New York, or those New Yorkers who Kenny refuses to serve -- only creates an appetite that cannot possibly be satisfied.
Read all 17 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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Documentary time: I Like Killing Flies.
If you don't care for a restaurant owner who curses at you, questions why you didn't like his food (by sometimes eating what you did not) or tells you CANNOT seat more than 4 people, and if you try you will get thrown out - FOR… More
Documentary time: I Like Killing Flies.
If you don't care for a restaurant owner who curses at you, questions why you didn't like his food (by sometimes eating what you did not) or tells you CANNOT seat more than 4 people, and if you try you will get thrown out - FOR LIFE, you might not want to watch the documentary: I Like Killing Flies. But if you are like me, someone who likes curmudgeons, really good food and a unique atmosphere - then watch the documentary as soon as possible!
Now I don't review documentaries like I do the fictional movies so I am not going to give this any rating except to say after watching this one I wanted to book a flight to New York City ASAP!!
This is about Kenny Shopsin and family and their New York eatery. It has been there for years and by the looks of it not cleaned a lot over those years. But I didn't mind that. It was the philosophy of Kenny Shopsin, cook and owner, that had me totally fascinated. He has his own unique way of how he sees life, how a restaurant should be run and if you don't agree him then you can GO F#%* YOURSELF! Really, that is how he talks to his customers. I had a huge smile on my face the entire time and after watching this film you will probably see what I saw: A man dedicated to the best meal he can cook for you. Nothing else matters!
Now you are thinking how can he get away with being so rude to customers? Well, one reason: THE FOOD! I will admit I have not eaten there and after watching I really, really want to (and I will abide by all his rules - trust me) but we got his cookbook and followed a few of his techniques. He's a genius! Plus, in his crass way he is usually right. No, I wouldn't want to be yelled at by him but I really want to go and see how great this food really is in real life.
I thoroughly enjoyed his philosophies throughout the documentary. It really made me think. But there were a few in his cookbook which we bought right after seeing the film: Eat Me: The Food Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin - that had me howling with laughter.
There is one in particular that I so enjoyed: On Not Allowing Special Requests. Here is a segment from his cookbook: "Some people tell me that they're deathly allergic to something and that I have to make sure it's not in their food. I kick them out. I don't want to be responsible for anyone's life-or-death situation. I tell them they should go eat at a hospital."
You also have to see his menu - there is a copy of it in the cookbook and they show it in the documentary. It is truly an amazing menu. Trust me!
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Interesting doc on eccentric cook in NY who lives by his own wacky rules and morals. His menu is strangely appealing.
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