X
  • 2022
  • TV-PG
  • Slice of Pie
  • 1 h 19 m
  • 2022
  • TV-PG
  • Slice of Pie
  • 1 h 19 m

Summary Before fast food we had something better. Our grandparents told us stories of gathering around communal tables, sharing their lives, their struggles, and their dreams with strangers at The Automat. Relive the phenomena of America’s original and most beloved restaurant chain with never before-seen archival footage and photographs and a ca...

Directed By: Lisa Hurwitz

Written By: Michael Levine

  • 2022
  • TV-PG
  • Slice of Pie
  • 1 h 19 m
  • 2022
  • TV-PG
  • Slice of Pie
  • 1 h 19 m

The Automat

Metascore Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
75
User Score Available after 4 ratings
tbd
My Score
Hover and click to give a rating Saved

Where to Watch

Summary Before fast food we had something better. Our grandparents told us stories of gathering around communal tables, sharing their lives, their struggles, and their dreams with strangers at The Automat. Relive the phenomena of America’s original and most beloved restaurant chain with never before-seen archival footage and photographs and a ca...

Directed By: Lisa Hurwitz

Written By: Michael Levine

Where to Watch

Top Cast

View All

Mel Brooks

Self - Comedian

John W. Romas

Self - VP of Engineering, H&H

Carl Reiner

Self - Comedian

Krystyna Romas

Self

Alec Shuldiner

Self - Automat Historian

Wilson Goode

Self - Philadelphia Mayor

Elliott Gould

Self - Actor

Howard Schultz

Self - Executive Chairman, Starbucks

Norris Horn

Self - Great Nephew of H&H Founder

Steve Stollman

Self - Architectural Dealer

Roy Rosenbaum

Self - Architect H&H

Marianne Hardart

Self - Co-Author, 'The Automat'

Lorraine Diehl

Self - Co-Author, 'The Automat'

Lisa Keller

Self - New York City Historian

Edwin K. Daly Jr.

Self - Son of President of H&H

Bill Romas

Self - John's Son

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Self - U.S. Supreme Court Justice

Colin Powell

Self - U.S. Secretary of State

Paul Hardart

Self - Great Grandson of H&H Founder

Apache Ramos

Self - Busboy, Kitchen, H&H

View All Cast & Crew

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
75
87% Positive
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews

Critic Reviews

 View All
Metascore
Generally Favorable Based on 15 Critic Reviews
75
87% Positive
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews

  • All Reviews
  • Positive Reviews
  • Mixed Reviews
  • Negative Reviews
100
Feb 23, 2022
The Automat was owned by the people, and it’s the people who loved it, remember it with passion, and still shed a tear when you mention it now.
By Rex Reed FULL REVIEW
88
Mar 25, 2022
Even if this documentary directed by Lisa Hurwitz had nothing else to recommend it, it would be worthwhile as an excellent source of Mel Brooks.
By Glenn Kenny FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 23, 2022
Even if you’ve never had the pleasure of eating in an Automat, Hurwitz brings the experience to life.
By Stephanie Zacharek FULL REVIEW
80
Feb 23, 2022
This is no more than a minor piece of social history, but it wins us over with humor and a pointed touch of melancholy.
By Stephen Farber FULL REVIEW
75
May 12, 2022
Hurwitz takes a terrific subject and treats it with undisguised, and justified, affection.
By Mark Feeney FULL REVIEW
63
Apr 5, 2022
In The Automat, Hurwitz and writer Michael Levine trace the rise and fall of Horn & Hardart, illuminating not just a surprisingly compelling corporate history, but a facet of American culture that feels both brimmingly optimistic and thoroughly extinct.
By Ann Hornaday FULL REVIEW
50
May 11, 2022
The Automat is rather like a nickel slice of pie or bowl of mac & cheese you’d get from one of their restaurants. It’s not fancy, but it’s good.
FULL REVIEW

User Reviews

There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.

Details

 View All
Production Company Slice of Pie
Release Date Feb 18, 2022
Duration 1 h 19 m
Rating TV-PG
Genres
Website http://www.facebook.com/THEAUTOMATthemovie
View All Details

Awards

Critics' Choice Documentary Awards
• 4 Nominations
Hollywood Music In Media Awards (HMMA)
• 2 Nominations
Miami Jewish Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination

Related Movies

Hoop Dreams

98
Universal Acclaim

Man with a Movie Camera

96
Universal Acclaim

Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

96
Universal Acclaim

I Am Not Your Negro

95
Universal Acclaim

Woodstock

95
Universal Acclaim

Collective

95
Universal Acclaim

Amazing Grace

94
Universal Acclaim

Stop Making Sense

94
Universal Acclaim

We Were Here

94
Universal Acclaim

Faces Places

94
Universal Acclaim

David Byrne’s American Utopia

93
Universal Acclaim

Shoah: Four Sisters

93
Universal Acclaim

Our Body

93
Universal Acclaim

Sherpa

93
Universal Acclaim

The Decline of Western Civilization

93
Universal Acclaim

Brother's Keeper

93
Universal Acclaim

Crumb

93
Universal Acclaim

One More Time with Feeling

92
Universal Acclaim

Sugarcane

92
Universal Acclaim

The Act of Killing

92
Universal Acclaim

De Humani Corporis Fabrica

92
Universal Acclaim

Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros

92
Universal Acclaim

Related News

2024 Movie Release Calendar

2024 Movie Release Calendar

Jason Dietz

Find release dates for every movie coming to theaters, VOD, and streaming throughout 2024 and beyond, updated weekly.

  • movie
Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Every Zack Snyder Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

With the arrival of Zack Snyder's latest Rebel Moon chapter on Netflix, we rank every one of the director's films—from bad to, well, less bad—by Metascore.

  • movie
Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Every Guy Ritchie Movie, Ranked

Nick Hyman

We rank every one of the British director's movies by Metascore, from his debut Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels to his brand new film, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

  • movie
April Movie Preview (2024)

April Movie Preview (2024)

Keith Kimbell

The month ahead will bring new films from Alex Garland, Luca Guadagnino, Dev Patel, and more. To help you plan your moviegoing options, our editors have selected the most notable films releasing in April 2024, listed in alphabetical order.

  • movie
DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

DVD/Blu-ray Releases: New & Upcoming

Jason Dietz

Find a list of new movie and TV releases on DVD and Blu-ray (updated weekly) as well as a calendar of upcoming releases on home video.

  • movie