I Like Killing Flies (2004)

A flavorful snack of a documentary (Entertainment Weekly), I LIKE KILLING FLIES is a hearty tribute to the quick-witted, cantankerous chef whose Greenwich Village restaurant, Shopsin s, has become a New York legend. With more than 900 items on its menu, all made from scratch in a tiny kitchen humming with improvised Rube Goldberg-like contraptions, Shopsin s has long been a quirky gem of New York food culture. But the fame belongs to the chef of Kenny Shopsin himself--a raffish cook enforcing his own rules, presiding over patrons, and famously claiming that customers have to first prove that they re OK to feed. Now, after occupying the same city corner for over three decades, the eatery loses its lease--and Kenny, his wife, and their children must find a new place to set up shop. Directed by Matt Mahurin, this bitingly funny comedy follows a prickly, profanity-prone man seeking to preserve his dream; it dishes up bites of wisdom along the way, ultimately serving both a hilarious trip and a charming slice of New York history.