disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

THE AUTOMAT -- A Wholesome, Lighthearted Documentary

2/18/2022

0 Comments

 
Review by Sean Boelman
Picture
There are two main types of stories that make for great documentaries: ones that have some timely connection and ones that are so unique they are downright fascinating. Lisa Hurwitz’s The Automat is the latter, an absolutely adorable film about a subject that is more compelling than you would expect.

The movie investigates the short-lived phenomenon that was the automat, a commissary-style restaurant that served fresh-cooked meals through vending machines. And while it does amount to little more than a nostalgia trip, there’s something unusually charming about these people reminiscing about such an obscure topic.

One of the fatal flaws of Hurwitz’s film is that she fails to pick a person through whom we are experiencing the story. Is this the story of the creators of the automat, or the people who frequented it as a child? The most successful documentaries about institutions of the past have chosen one or the other, but Hurwitz tries to do both, and it feels somewhat distant as a result.

The runtime of the documentary is under an hour and twenty minutes, and it goes by pretty quickly. Perhaps the best thing about the movie is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. Hurwitz recognizes that the story she’s telling isn’t anything weighty, and so it plays out in a bouncy and lighthearted way.
Picture
There are some interesting themes that the film could have explored about the mechanization of American society, but the movie doesn’t really explore it that much. Although people frequently mention that the automat was innovative and ahead of its time, it’s just vague praise without any real context.

Hurwitz was able to get some surprising interviews for her film. Why are Mel Brooks, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and Colin Powell in this movie about automated restaurants? They each have a childhood story about the institution, but it’s more accurately an attempt to get some star power for the movie. 

The film also has some sections in which Hurwitz explores the idea of making her movie about the automat, but this meta filmmaking is too underdeveloped to leave much of an impact. That said, Mel Brooks did write a song for the film, and the collaboration between him and Hurwitz is pretty interesting.

The Automat is an adorable little documentary with a story that’s more intriguing than it probably should be. It’s nice to see a wholesome movie like this that doesn’t deal with anything urgent or troubling, but is instead just a bunch of people talking about something they immensely respect.

The Automat is now in theaters.

​Rating: 3.5/5
               
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2025
    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About