Customer Reviews

I Like Killing Flies

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Entirely interesting portrait of a man and his family running their small eatery in New York City.
The title is just one pearl of wisdom Kenny Shopsin shares with many to follow.
Introducing us to one of the specific entanglements charateristic of his kitchen, of which only he and his family would know how to navigate, he'll say "If you don't do what you're supposed to, you'll get punished...RIGHT AWAY! And then, you must pay penance."
I now would like to quote Kenny again. The following is taken from the final scene of the film. I thought it was so thought provoking I could not resist repeating it here so here goes:
"This is like another one of my half-baked philosphies. The FIRST duty of everybody, in life, is to realize that they're a piece of s---. They're selfish, they're self-centered...they're not very good, and, that you're willing to sacrifice 20,000 people in another country just so that you can, uh, go to uh, a WINGS concert. You've sacrificed the lives of a hundred thousand Chinese uh female babies, just so you can rent this f------ camera (he's looking directly at director Matt Mahurin here) and do your stupid art project. NO PROBLEM! You're a piece of [...]. Once you REALIZE you're a piece of [...] , it's NOT so hard to take. Because THEN...you don't have this FEELING that uh, you're a good person all the time. And, let me tell ya somethin'...feeling that you're a good person all the time is like having a brand new car with no scratches on it. It's a REAL responsibility which is almost impossible to live up to. Being a piece of [...] and then occasionally doing something that's good and true...it's a much easier place to be. I think that's really important and I always try and raise my kids to understand that they're NOT that terrific. And that NOT being that terrific, that's okay 'cos most people who say they are terrific (pause) Bill Clinton..Cardinal Egan (pause) anybody that you wanna talk about..they're not so terrific---MARTHA STEWART! They're not so [...] terrific either and there's nothing wrong with bein' not so terrific, ya know, in FACT it's what's the whole ball game is about, is about not being so terrific and accepting it."
Other than that gentle nugget, there is plenty to find affection for in this tiny film, from the Shopsin family to their customers to their creative menu as we get to watch it being prepared and to two major upheavals that confront the family during this time period.

Well done (no pun intended) documentary on a real-life character from the restaurant biz. Having been a cafe manager for 15 years, I could relate. It's a hard job, and you need broad shoulders to carry a place like Shopsin's. Shopsin himself is a bit of an anti-hero; at times you love him, at times you've had enough, but some of the existential wisdom he spouts makes sense, and it's clear that he's a good cook and kitchen manager. We need more people like him who are willing to speak up for what they believe in, while still doing good work and carrying a tough burden... The documentary itself is well-done; never boring, interesting shots, and put together character by character as you follow the restaurant on a life-changing move to a new location. Definitely worth watching. Punk Cookery, The Punk Rocker's Cafe Cookbook, Vegetarian Specialties

This odd documentary is a character study of a genuine New York "character," namely cook and crackerjack philosopher Kenny Shopsin. It is claustrophobically shot, periodically unintelligible, and sometimes verges on the slightly creepy.

I quite liked it.

I've never eaten at Shopsin's, but after reading Calvin Trillin's brilliant portrayal of the hole-in-the-wall eatery in the New Yorker, I was hooked. The makers of I LIKE KILLING FLIES seem to assume that the viewer has dined at the establishment AND read that piece... and yet, for those of you who have done neither, this fascinating movie will immerse you in such close quarters with the sometimes coarse, sometimes brilliant Shopsin, it won't matter. You'll get the idea. The menus feature hundreds of outrageously hybridized dishes, no parties larger than four may enter, and whatever you do, don't antagonize the cook.

Highly Recommended: Calvin Trillin's Feeding a Yen, which includes an expanded version of the aforementioned New Yorker essay.

I found this slice-of-life documentary thoroughly engrossing, but some viewers may find it claustrophobia-inducing. It's not just that chef Kenny Shopsin's tiny kitchen is such a grim, grimy room, or that his restaurant in New York City's Greenwich Village is such a ratty hole in the wall, or that director Matt Mahurin is such a poor digital cameraman, producing herky-jerky images and muffled sound.

The problem is primarily this: we get up close and personal with a fat, sweaty, foulmouthed, cantankerous cook and his warts-and-all family, which is probably more intimate than most people would care to be. Yet it's precisely this intense intimacy and complete candor that make the film compelling.

From 2002 to 2003, Mahurin followed Shopsin in his final year at the location he ran for over 30 years. In the first half of the film, we watch him open his eatery for the day, talking nearly non-stop about his tools, menu, guiding principles, and the people he works with. We meet regulars and old friends who eat some of the 900 eclectic dishes he cooks, and we can't help but notice that patronizing the place requires nearly as much chutzpah and almost as thick a skin as Kenny has: woe betide rule-breakers like the party of five or the customer who just wants a coffee!

Shopsin treats all those who get on his nerves to a fresh serving of hot temper or, at the very least, an affectionate phrase beginning with the letter F. The protagonist's longsuffering wife and children weigh in on what it's like to work for a man who's both a genius and a jerk, and the viewer is forced to sympathize.

In the film's second half, Shopsin loses his lease and decides to move his establishment to a larger location in the nearby Lower East Side. Family, friends, and customers all pitch in to make it happen. Everything must go, from hundreds of knick-knacks and supplies to an antediluvian stove that amazes us by failing to explode and incinerate either the old or the new restaurant. The reopening is a resounding success. We return for an epilogue the following year to learn that Shopsin's wife has died, but Shopsin hasn't changed a bit.

"I Like Killing Flies" is a classic piece of Americana and an enduring contribution to the tradition of quirky, abrasive New Yorkers who make their city one of the most interesting on earth.

I thought this was the best documentary I have ever seen. Kenny Shopsin is a fascinating character and the director did a great job in getting a story that is heartfelt and genuine and honest. Sometimes sweet, gritty, poignant and occasionally dastardly. A once in a lifetime character and movie. Don't miss it!

I actually watched this DVD to decide whether or not to buy Kenny Shopsin's new book, Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin. The movie is a fairly well put-together documentary despite being poorly shot (too many close-ups, microphone in the picture about 100 times). One grows to tolerate Kenny and even like him over the course of an hour's worth of babbling, semi-coherent diatribes. I'm buying the book, if that says anything.

I can't say that for the first twenty minutes or so I didn't want to kill this guy, instead of the flies....but it grows on you, like kudzu.....and creeps into your heart like one of his grotesquely delicious dishes. The whole family has hearts as big as one of the huge platters he serves up to (only) 2 or 4!!!!!!! Don't miss this movie......I've already bought several copies for friends and the good vibe is unanimous!

If you are a specialist or professional at anything at all, you need to watch this film. When you meet this guy at the beginning of the film, you don't know what to think. By the time it's over you want to know this person - even just to meet him would be an awesome thing.

Now I finally have a name on hand when people ask me "If you could meet anyone and have a conversation with them, who would that be?"

This is like hanging out with Kenny Shopsin for 90 minutes. If you find his personality and cooking style fun and engaging (as I do) you'll love it. If he gets on your nerves, you'll hate it. I found the raw, jumpy, intimate style a great match for Shopsin's own. I think a lot of bad reviews are due to a mismatch between people who think they're going to watch some kind of culinary savant when Shopsin's existence is mostly about family, love, life, and one neurotic's search for wholeness.

"I Like Killing Flies" chronicles life behind the scenes at Shopsins, a small but popular restaurant that was, at the time, in Greenwich Village. Shopsins is the kind of place that attracts many long-time customers, and the eccentric proprietor, Kenny Shopsin, takes delight in fraternizing with his loyal customers. He also is a rather crabby guy who has numerous rules his customers have to follow; for example, he won't serve parties of five or larger and everyone has to order a meal. If someone breaks the rules, then he may just throw them out of the restaurant. His extraordinary menu, which is cooked almost exclusively by Kenny and one other cook, contains hundreds of different dishes (the menu is available online and is worth a peek). Inevitably, Kenny will invite comparisons to NYC's infamous "Soup Nazi," but he's also certainly his own breed of semi-kook.

The documentary features interviews with this quirky man, his family, and many customers. Whether or not you enjoy the film will be largely dependent on your reaction to Kenny, as the food gets rather short shrift here. His musings are often funny, sometimes ridiculous, and occasionally insightful. Unfortunately, the documentary has a horrible title and equally horrific DVD cover, which made me pass up watching it numerous times. Fortunately, killing flies is a mentioned only a few times, and Kenny doesn't really seem to take any particular delight in the activity. He's just trying to keep his restaurant sanitary after all. This enjoyable documentary probably won't stick with you for long and the topic matter is a bit slight, but it is interesting, particularly if you're looking for some local NYC color.