Directed by Lisa Hurwitz, 2021 - Not Rated - Length: 79 min - Country: US - Language: English

Lisa Hurwitz’s charming documentary centers on an artifact that seems culled from the futuristic universe of the Jetsons: the automat, brainchild of entrepreneurs Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart. A vending machine offering fresh cooked meals for a nickel in a commissary-style eatery, the automat became a staple of New York and Philadelphia city life from 1902 to 1991. Hurwitz’s meticulously researched film tracks its history, weaving together interviews with engineers, collectors, admirers, former employees, and an eclectic cast of its utmost enthusiasts, from the exuberant Mel Brooks and his comedy partner Carl Reiner, to Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Colin Powell. Hurwitz unearths a utopian hang-out where people from diverse cultural and economic backgrounds came together to enjoy creamed spinach, mac and cheese, Salisbury steak, pies—lots of pies—and, as memorialized in Mel Brooks’ song, specially composed for the film, an inimitably good cup of coffee.