The Automat

Seventy-nine minutes of pure delight!! Whether you experienced the wonder and deliciousness of the Automat, you've merely heard stories from family or you're hearing about the Automat for the very first time....don't miss treating yourself to this wonderful film about a genius food business - Horn and Hardart - that fed the needs of many above and beyond the food itself. First time director, Lisa Hurwitz, gives us a story that's entertaining, engaging and unforgettable. You'll love it!!

Watching this exquisite documentary is such a joyful experience! It's as delicious and unforgettable as an exquisite meal with your favorite friend. The interviews with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Ruth Badger Ginsberg and Colin Powell, all sharing their favorite Automatic memories make fir delightful company. Made with love and great talent, one will want to revisit this gem often!

The documentary is both wonderful and sad. The Automat owners held deep-seated democratic traditions that are entirely absent in businessman now. They said the public had a right to a clean, elegant and affordable eating establishment with quality coffee. They created a workplace with dignity and respect and in return gained loyal workers who took pride in their work, not only for themselves but for the public they served. The one criticism I have with Lisa Hurwitz is the inclusion of Starbucks owner Howard Schultz. Starbucks is the antithesis of the Automat: cold, uninviting, supremely individualistic and overpriced. Oh, and the coffee is mediocre.

Watching this lovely documentary brought back such wonderful memories of my early childhood and as a young man. It was a thrill for my grandparents and in later years my parents to take me to the Automat. We lived in Manhattan so we always went to the 42nd & 3rd avenue location. It was a delicious and unforgettable experience for little money and at times met friends there as well. The interviews with Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Ruth Badger Ginsberg, and Colin Powell, all sharing their favorite Automat memories make for delightful viewing. This documentary was made with love as was the food the Automat served.

THE AUTOMAT takes viewers back to the very beginning, sharing how Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart teamed to create the eateries so many of us love, though they no longer exist. Hurwitz spoke to family members, former employees, historians, authors and a few celebs -- Mel Brooks, Carl Reiner, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Eliot Gould, Colin Powell -- about their Automat memories, and the result is a joyful yet unavoidably elegiac film that is simply a must-see for anyone with an interest in these bygone gems.

I expected this film to be good -- I was counting on it. And it lived up to and exceeded all hopes and expectations.