I Like Killing Flies (2004)

Pretty Good

Excellent but underrated film

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This movie feels like an art school film project that caught fire and ended up being something bigger than anyone expected. From the ludicrous commentary of the madman that is Kenny Shopsin, to the real, applicable life lessons throughout, this documentary style film should be viewed by anyone with a love for food, family and of course, restaurant culture. Within each scene, comment, incident, lies small truths and realities that we all face as humans in this society. Alongside the daily struggles of the family system, is the restaurant itself which is as eccentric and charismatic as the family that owns it... This movie represents the city of New York, the neighborhood, and ultimately the PEOPLE that make any community what it is... I try and show this film to as many people as I can because I know the rise of popularity in a cult classic is a slow one, but that's what this production is... a true cult classic.

I suppose as I get older I realize what it means to invest your life into something, and the regret of not investing yourself enough into something. Sure Kenny is crass, obnoxious, a little weird looking and perhaps mean, but really the guy looks like he was a one of a kind facet of Greenwich Village. He methods were unorthodox as shown in the multiple shots of this Jewish chef cooking bacon in the fry cooker, and turning the food with his hands, but he was a man from a certain place and time. He has personality, he is unique, and I think we now live in a world where it is very hard to be unique and live a middle class life or be a part of a culture.I sympathized with him that they kept raising his rent and messing with him, and it was very affected by the insights provided by his children, especially about his son describing Kenny as a man cursed by his own work ethic. Kids by the way who seemed to love their dad and was in return loved by him very much, regardless of what was said, the love came through.I am a sucker for food movies and the food was interesting. I would have loved to have eaten there at least once and by the end of the movie I was saddened both by the way this man was forced to move from the place that was essentially a part of him and he a part of it (the grime lines where the pictures and stove used to be really presented this well), and the fact that he lost his wife. Personally, although it was not stated, I think her heart broke over the move more than was portrayed in the movie.9 out of 10? I wanted to be there, and now I missed my chance to eat with Kenny or be thrown out of his restaurant. Also, I think this was not the very best name for a documentary about a cook and his restaurant, and kept me from watching it for months, only deciding to after I was going to push doubts aside try something new, much in the way it is shown that Kenny was always trying something new with his food. Great film.

What a great little film! Having worked in the village for many years, this film really embodies what it used to be like. Creating a space for friends, having your own rules and forming a community out of a business is so far gone now. But this doc will stand the test of time. When people want to know what the Village was really like near the end of its days, tell them to watch this film. Say what you will about Kenny and family but they are true human beings. The film has a great pace and is a true doc in the Maysles bros. tradition. It has the perfect blend of customers comments, kitchen action, family dynamics and New York sights. I am happy that after another move, Shopsin's is still around. Rent it on Netflix and enjoy!

Growing up in NYC one meets a lot of Kenny's.Burnt out damaged toxic bullies who could only exist here or in Paris, where idiots put up with their crap."Shopsins" was a potheads' idea of heaven as the food was huge if often uneven. Seeing the pigsty of a kitchen in this film I have no doubt cannabis or a head injury were somehow involved. Kenny's philosophy is equally messy as his self-hatred and meanness to his family are just plain awful. The film is GREAT but only as a car accident one can not take their eyes off of. Watching it I was reminded of reason 127 why I prefer my West Texas home to NYC ... nobody here is like Kenny! Nobody here would put up with such misanthropic sub-humanism in exchange for a meal. A bully with nothing to bring to the table though on film you can meet him without having to smell him.