Female Film Critics 24/375
Getting a film to any screen is a major undertaking, but finding a loyal, appreciative audience and getting national distribution is a rarity indeed. Lisa Hurwitz, director and producer of the highly acclaimed, perfectly delightful documentary The Automat knows how lucky she is her film is being so well-received and is landing in so many theaters.
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Lisa Hurwitz’ affectionate documentary The Automat is the best kind of history lesson: informative, approachable, and as refreshing as a hot cup of coffee and a piece of apple pie. As it traces the rise and fall of iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart — which at one time served as many as 500,000 customers a day at its many locations in New York City and Philadelphia — the film offers a nostalgic look back at America during much of the 20th century.
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Lisa Hurwitz’s documentary, The Automat, will whet your appetite for a stroll down nostalgia lane and, at the same time, make you crave a slice of apple pie. The Automat is, of course, Horn & Hardart, one of the most popular and successful restaurant chains in US history and, alas, no longer in business to provide high quality, deliciously prepared and amazingly affordable food to 500,000 patrons per day.
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The Automat is irresistible for anyone who relishes images of old New York, dining history, art deco style and an honest cup of coffee. That it pours from a European-inspired spigot just adds to the appeal of Lisa Hurwitz’s The Automat, an entertaining and nostalgic look at the once wildly popular eateries with their glass, chrome and marble interiors founded in 1902 by Joe Horn and Frank Hardart.
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The new documentary release The Automat teaches many things about the power of nostalgia, the history of New York City, the benevolence of companies long gone, and the egalitarianism of a 5 cent cup of coffee, but before all else, it teaches audiences that Mel Brooks has been and always will be a force.
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I was happy to breeze through memory lane as I watched Lisa Hurwitz’s doc The Automat, which digs deep into Horn and Hardart cafeteria chain. There is something delicious about learning how these art-deco emporiums welcomed one and all, rich or poor, White or Black, male or female, even if they were homeless and simply used a cup to make a condiment soup with mustard and ketchup.
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