To me, this movie is perfection.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

From the opening scene I was hooked, it takes several moments to realize the shop is actually an eatery. Kenny is the larger than life proprietor of the eatery and his language is as colorful as the dishes he serves. The clientèle is from all walks of life, yet share a passion for Kenny's unique dishes. The overall feeling is that of an extended family, but do not be tempted to dine if you are a party any larger than four, because you will be asked to leave on no uncertain terms.At times you wonder at the cleanliness of the place as the kitchen appears to be a cluttered pigsty. Kenny retells the story of "waiter there is a bug in my soup," while joyfully killing flies with a plastic flyswatter. Kenny seems unapologetic of state of the kitchen and actually comments on his rigging of the refrigerator in order to keep it closed.The filmmaker created the documentary how he saw the scenes unfolding around him, nothing appears to be retouched. The camera bobs and sways with the movements of the filmmaker. At times his arm is part of the scene while he holds the microphone catching each of Kenny's words. Although the chief's dialog is punctuated with swearwords, one quickly realizes the philosophy that is Kenny. In fact, he uses this ability to win many arguments with his family. The film is a pleasure to watch and I highly recommend it.

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.

This was a rather enjoyable film about a New York institution, a hole in the wall restaurant named "Shopsins". What makes this very mundane topic interesting is the owner and chef, Kenny Shopsin. Kenny is a man that is hard to describe without using expletives, as he's one of the nastiest and crustiest men I've even seen on film--and yet his customers adore him and his place. I guess it's a New York thing, as he often heaps abuse and invectives on people--many times, it seems, just because he likes being a jerk. Oddly, despite being a rather horrible person who throws out customers as often as the Yankees used to throw out managers, he's got some interesting and perhaps endearing qualities. First, while he talks like a sailor, he's no dummy--you can hear some pearls of wisdom buried between filthy comments. My favorite, though not especially deep or true is listed above in the summary! Second, he is truly an amazing chef who has concocted hundreds of unique dishes. Third, and I have no idea how, despite being a critical and horrible person, he's got a family that loves him, puts up with him and is loyal. I assume he's either got them drugged or has some voodoo spell to keep them in line! The documentary IS Kenny. Seeing him in action may at times be repellent but it certainly never is dull! So I recommend you definitely watch this odd little confection. Now would I recommend you eat at his restaurant? Maybe not, as his favorite thing to do on the job is to smash flies with his swatter (hence the title of the film) and a place with that many dead flies in the kitchen scares me! Although, next time I'm in New York and I want some verbal abuse, perhaps I'll stop in with four of my friends for a bite or just to have a cup of coffee and make a phone call.By the way, this is one of the only films I have ever seen that is rated R simply because of very, very harsh language. There is no violence or nudity--just a constant stream of cursing from this world champion misanthrope.

I saw this movie the other night and was completely delighted by it. What passes for funny in most movies these days is usually recycled drivel that is apparent way before the punchline comes. Kenny Shopsin made me laugh at things I couldn't have imagined might come out of a human being's mouth-- and the best part is that a beat or two after you stop laughing, you realize how oddly thoughtful, intelligent and even tragic he is.For what it's worth, the night I went, the director was there to talk about the movies afterwords and he came across as a very good guy who deserves to have people see his movie so he can go on making more like it. Also, if you take the advice of one of the other reviewers and visit Shopsin's while you're in Manhattan, don't tell him you're there because of the movie-- he'll throw you out.