I Like Killing Flies
Encyclopedia
I Like Killing Flies is a 2004
documentary film produced, directed, filmed, and edited by Matt Mahurin
. It documents Shopsin's
restaurant in New York City
's Greenwich Village
and its quirky owner and head cook Kenny Shopsin. In 2002 and 2003, Mahurin followed Shopsin in his final year at the location he ran for over 30 years. Shopsin offers what he calls "half-baked" philosophy throughout the film, his speech is peppered with profanities.
In the first half, Shopsin opens his eatery for the day and talks about his kitchen, his business, his employees, and his customers. We meet the regulars and friends who eat some of the 900 eclectic dishes he prepares, and we learn the rules of the restaurant: all customers must eat, parties of five or more are unwelcome, and anyone who irritates the owner will be swiftly shown the door. Shopsin's wife and children, all of whom work at the restaurant, weigh in on what it's like to work for this eccentric and occasionally hot-tempered man.
In the film's second half, Shopsin loses his lease and is forced to move his establishment to a larger location in the nearby Lower East Side
. Family, friends, and customers all pitch in to help with the move. Everything must go, from hundreds of knick-knacks and supplies to an alarmingly rickety stove. The reopening is a resounding success. The epilogue grants the audience one last glimpse of Shopsin's life the following year, and it is revealed that Shopsin's wife has died, but he seems not to have changed at all.
Shopsin, who has been profiled in The New Yorker
by Calvin Trillin
, wrote a 2008 book with Carolynn Carreño entitled Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin.
2004 in film
The year 2004 in film involved some significant events. Major releases of sequels took place. It included blockbuster films like Shrek 2, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, The Passion of the Christ, Meet the Fockers, Blade: Trinity, Spider-Man 2, Alien vs. Predator, Kill Bill Vol...
documentary film produced, directed, filmed, and edited by Matt Mahurin
Matt Mahurin
Matt Mahurin is an American illustrator, photographer and film director. Mahurin's illustrations appear in Time, Newsweek, Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, Esquire, Forbes, and The New York Times.Mahurin's work as a photo essayist has dealt with subjects such as homelessness, people with AIDS, the...
. It documents Shopsin's
Shopsins
Shopsins is a diner formerly located in New York City's Greenwich Village. It moved to Stall No. 16, 120 Essex Street in New York City's Essex Street Market....
restaurant in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
and its quirky owner and head cook Kenny Shopsin. In 2002 and 2003, Mahurin followed Shopsin in his final year at the location he ran for over 30 years. Shopsin offers what he calls "half-baked" philosophy throughout the film, his speech is peppered with profanities.
In the first half, Shopsin opens his eatery for the day and talks about his kitchen, his business, his employees, and his customers. We meet the regulars and friends who eat some of the 900 eclectic dishes he prepares, and we learn the rules of the restaurant: all customers must eat, parties of five or more are unwelcome, and anyone who irritates the owner will be swiftly shown the door. Shopsin's wife and children, all of whom work at the restaurant, weigh in on what it's like to work for this eccentric and occasionally hot-tempered man.
In the film's second half, Shopsin loses his lease and is forced to move his establishment to a larger location in the nearby Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. Family, friends, and customers all pitch in to help with the move. Everything must go, from hundreds of knick-knacks and supplies to an alarmingly rickety stove. The reopening is a resounding success. The epilogue grants the audience one last glimpse of Shopsin's life the following year, and it is revealed that Shopsin's wife has died, but he seems not to have changed at all.
Shopsin, who has been profiled in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
by Calvin Trillin
Calvin Trillin
Calvin Marshall Trillin is an American journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, memoirist and novelist.-Biography:Trillin attended public schools in Kansas City and went on to Yale University, where he served as chairman of the Yale Daily News and was a member of Scroll and Key before graduating...
, wrote a 2008 book with Carolynn Carreño entitled Eat Me: The Food and Philosophy of Kenny Shopsin.