Female Film Critics 24/375
As an accessible film with a solid lead performance, Call Jane is an important addition to the Janes’ story and a reminder of the power of collective action. It’s hard not to feel sorrow and anger when, at the end, the Janes celebrate Roe v. Wade and the dissolution of the group. But it’s also a call to action.
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The timely abortion rights film Call Jane, directed by Phyllis Nagy, starts off in Chicago in 1968, as the city and the nation are teetering on the brink of violent political upheaval. We meet a well-off suburban housewife Joy Griffin (Elizabeth Banks, who is the stand-out in the cast) leads an ordinary life with her husband and tween daughter. But when Joy’s pregnancy leads to a life-threatening condition, she must navigate a medical establishment unwilling to help. She then finds learns about the “Janes,” an underground organization of women who provide Joy with a safer alternative — and in the process — changes her life.
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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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