Spinning Plates (2012) User Reviews

Fun for Film Buffs and Foodies alike!

[claire-cec · 8/10 · 12 November 2012]

This film takes a fascinating look into three very different types of restaurants in the United States, and the people that make them possible. Like most well done documentaries, you are sucked in to the lives of the people who run these restaurants. The film strikes an emotional cord in the way that you are elated when things go well for these people and their restaurants, and you are torn to pieces when things go wrong.

The documentary flows nicely from the story of the modernist, top tier restaurant Alinea run by Grant Achatz in Chicago, to the comfortable, family run, historic Breitbach's in Balltown, Iowa, lastly to the struggling, authentic Mexican restaurant La Cocina de Gabby run by a sweet family in Arizona. Each story presents different aspects of the restaurant business at different levels of success. Each story shows the hardships, struggles, joys and pleasures of running a restaurant. And each story captivates your emotions and keeps you hopeful for their futures.

Although the restaurants are different, all three strive to be the place people want to come. This film brings to light the fact that it isn't the food that makes a restaurant, it's the people behind it who put their blood, sweat, and tears into the work. As a lover of food and film, I would recommend Spinning Plates to anyone who shares either passion. Overall, it is a heartfelt, interesting and entertaining documentary.

Cook From The Heart

[sixpence1106 · 7/10 · 6 June 2014]

A good friend of mine was in her mid 50's. She was now married and retired from working for the city. Karen had wanted to open a restaurant all her life and never had the opportunity. She found a small place and decided to finally fulfill her dream. She was at the restaurant hours before it opened every day so she could get the food ready for that day. The restaurant was only open for breakfast and lunch. But, being obsessively clean, the restaurant had to be spotless at the end of the day so she was there for hours after it closed. I don't even think she was open a year before she gave it up. She loved cooking, but admitted that she had no idea how hard it would be to have a restaurant. The cleaning, the food ordering, the paperwork, the cooking, dealing with people, etc. She said it was just too hard and too stressful. I don't think people have any idea what restaurant owners/chefs go through. Its long hours and hard work, sometimes, for very little money. I heard on one show that many Michelin star restaurants don't even make a lot of money. The cost to maintain these restaurants is very high. They do it for the love of cooking. I wish a lot of people could watch shows like this so the next time they feel the need to complain about something trivial, they will think twice about it. I can understand people who eat at Grants restaurant once, just to see what it is like. But, my idea of dining is not eating little bits of things frozen or blasted with heat and thrown on a table. I would rather have anything to eat at Breitbach or the Martinez's restaurant any day. I do appreciate Grant's passion and his skills at what he does. The documentary was very well done and done with a lot of heart.

Made me smile, cry, and hungry at the same time.

[danzelikman · 8/10 · 29 July 2015]

Went to the theater with almost no expectations and left with a huge smile on my face.

Spinning Plates is an intimate look into the lives of three stories that revolve around food, family, sacrifice, and resilience. Within the stories is a wide variety of food types, chefs, backgrounds, economic means, and ambitions. Yet with all the differences, the similarities are uncanny—and it's what brings the film together.

Anyone with an appreciation for food or family will find relatable emotional elements in this film —and it will give you a little more insight on the types of struggles that some of our favorite places to dine go through on a day to day basis.

Watch with snacks, plan for a meal afterward. Enjoy!

Spinning Plates and their Spinning Lives

[kelvinho84 · 7/10 · 26 November 2012]

Spinning Plates is a documentary film directed by Joseph Levy. It centers on three restaurants, each one unique not only for its cuisine, but also its owners and their turmoil. Levy introduces us to Chef Grant Achatz and his Michelin three-star rated restaurant Alinea in Chicago. It is followed by the Martinez's struggling Tuscon Mexican restaurant La Cocina de Gabby. Finally, we have the Breitbachs and their restaurant Breitbach's Country Dining, which has been around Baltown, Iowa for over 150 years. While these three samples seem random, albeit eclectic, the film's final moment ties everything together into a coherent narrative about food and family.

I admire how Levy presents us with three restaurants, each one unique for its economic and social status in the culinary world. The Martinez's restaurant is a struggling familial enterprise. Francisco Martinez is an overly optimistic father, whose only wish is to have his restaurant succeed in order to provide for his daughter. His wife Gabby is the restaurant's sole chef, who beliefs her style of home cooking is what makes her food distinct. However, circumstances arise where they are forced to leave the home Francisco bought for his wife. Out of the three stories in the film, theirs is the most heartbreaking and familiar for it signals not only the economic slide but unearths the realities of the restaurant business.

The other family owned restaurant in the film centers on the Breitbachs. Their restaurant is so firmly established in their small town that it has become a cornerstone of the community. Unlike the Martinez's restaurant, it is not economic difficulties that unsettle the family but sheer bad luck. The Breitbach's Country Dining was twice destroyed by fire. Both times the community gathered together to help rebuild it. Their storyline reveals how food is both personal and communal. It looks at how the restaurant transcends business and settles into the realm of a communal relic.

In perhaps the most detached of the three, but more engaging, at least for me, is on Chef Grant Achatz and his famed restaurant Alinea. Grant represents the current explosion of high cuisine, where the trend now is the fusion of cooking with science. Where he and his team cook in is a kitchen and a science laboratory hybrid. Pots and pans sit next to Bunsen burners. Before Grant started his own career, he worked under Thomas Keller, who many consider to be one of the greatest chefs. As an avid fan of Mr. Keller, whose laurels extend from his esteemed restaurant The French Laundry all the way to his role as a consultant for Pixar's Ratatouille, I can never tire of listening to his infinite wisdom. Grant is a product of Keller, who focuses on providing not only an artistic and memorable experience, but also, nurturing the customers on a primitive level. While his story seems to be the most artificial, compared to the struggle faced by the Martinez family, Levy flips the script by revealing of Grant's fight against cancer. Levy does a successful job at bringing back his story down to Earth, making him more empathetic.

Levy goes a very good job at juggling the difference in class and economic standings with these three restaurants. The ending of the film with Grant's voice-over is a touching ending that ties the themes of the movie together. Despite the difference in social and economic standing, the film purports to say that food and restaurant function similarly. The ending makes you rethink about these three restaurants. It no longer seems like they are just three disparate restaurants but shows the trajectory of how a restaurant can grow on a grassroot level into one that sits atop the culinary world. Spinning Plates is a delightful film for the casual viewer and for food buffs like myself.

Three different restaurants explain what it (life, food, work, passion) is all about.

[igplatt93 · 10/10 · 6 February 2013]

One of the best documentary's I have ever seen. It is so unique to this genre because it is not trying to push anything on the audience or expose a hidden truth. My last documentary I watched that I really liked was "Waiting For Superman." And it is a film that shocks it's viewers, and appalls them, gives us hope and then takes it away, it is a typical documentary. But my absolute favorite movies are ones that are like nothing I have ever seen before. Spinning Plates is a game changer. It wont' shock you but it will warm your heart and touch your soul... and make you hungry. While watching the movie I became sucked into the story. The hour and a half seemed like a minute-- it was the perfect amount of time. I wanted more, but at the same time it was all I wanted, just a quick pick-me-up, an inspiring part of my day that made me want to hug my family and then have a big family dinner. It is utterly entertaining- I laughed and I cried. Spinning Plates reminds us about community, passion, hard-work and the power of food. Most importantly, I was inspired and proud to be a human. This film is a gem in the rough. WATCH IT!

Top Notch Doc!

[chuckderosa · 10/10 · 19 October 2013]

I saw this movie recently at a screening and it is one heck of a good film. This is what a good documentary looks like! The movie looks at three different stories from across the country - varied food, cultures and ethnicities. Each story was completely engaging and when they're all wrapped together it makes for an incredibly enticing movie. So enjoyable...the fact that it's subject involves delicious food doesn't hurt either.

Also, don't be fooled into thinking a movie about food doesn't have drama - because this movie swings back and forth between tragedy and triumph. The movie is really about the people making the food - and, let me tell you, they've got some stories to tell.

I really dig this movie.

Compelling & passionate.

[wuigee · 9/10 · 8 February 2013]

Spinning Plates is a documentary on three different restaurants and their owners/cooks. We inter-cut between one of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world, a Mexican restaurant on the verge of going out of business, and an extremely popular small town restaurant. We meet all the owners and see how much their restaurant means to them.

Each of the three stories are unique and compelling. There is a wide arrange of emotions portrayed and felt. There is nothing being pushed on the audience, no politics, or biases. The film just takes you behind the scenes to show you how the restaurants are run and why. Through interviews, you get to see the heart, dedication, and passion of the owners.

This documentary seriously changed my view on cooks and restaurant owners. I can now appreciate high quality meals as art. And I recognize the passion and hard-work that goes into these kinds of businesses. By the end of the film you see a common theme of love and companionship for each restaurant.

I highly recommend this documentary to everyone. I cannot imagine somebody not liking this.

very touching human story

[dwuksta · 10/10 · 21 March 2014]

I was pleasantly surprised, was very touching, more about the people and their respective obstacles, not so much about the food itself. It seemed to dig deeper as the film progressed, they left a lot of the juicy bits till later, and didn't dwell too much on less important issues. Felt like I really connected with all of the restaurant owners, which is the main purpose of a documentary.

At the end of the film, I felt like I wanted to move to small town America and live amongst these people and their community. With technology these days, people are becoming more fragmented and friendships are being based on edited remarks and low resolution pictures. What an amazing close community some of them have built for themselves, if we don't have each other, what do we really have?

The first restaurant was home style American cuisine, low priced comfort food in a buffet type setting. They had been established for 150 years and run by the same family. It was situated in a very close community of Balltown, the residents treated the place as a 2nd home, and the relationship went beyond just friendship, and we get the feeling the town and the restaurant itself were symbiotic, in that one would not survive without the other

Another restaurant was focused on modern cuisine in Chicago, where they spend hours creating one of a kind dishes. Their creations delve into the areas of science and even human psychology. But here we see they are no less devoid of intense personal issues that are placed between them and their ultimate goal.

The third restaurant is about a couple, struggling in a small town, creating simple Mexican food. We are led into their home and restaurant, we see how they struggle to manage their daughter while trying to make enough money to survive, working 90+ hours a week.

Highly recommend this movie, it will leave a lasting impression about what it takes to survive in your own small business, their personal struggles will stay with you, and success is never guaranteed, but if you surround yourself with true friends, you will inevitably survive.

One in Three good

[KJ-Movie-Watcher · 4/10 · 18 March 2015]

This movie is about 3 restaurants. I was watching it because I'm interested in food but only 1/3 restaurants actually fulfilled my desire. Two were about peoples lives running restaurants and quite miserable. We actually fast forwarded them and just watched the section about Grant Achatz. That was amazing seeing his molecular gastronomy his genius and passion. Would love to eat at Alinea or Next. 10/10 for that section. The other two literally made me upset and annoyed to watch. One about a Mexican couple whose restaurant was not going well. Instead of trying to improve, look at their marketing strategies, how to get more customers, how to make better food, they just prayed. And god didn't answer. The other was about a guy super helpful, creating a community in his restaurant and serving the most unhealthy looking food ever. Chicken fried chicken, steak, etc. How can you make a doco about this unhealthy food? If you like food, just watch Achatz. If you like drama watch all 3.

Blown away by Spinning Plates!

[anicole-preston · 10/10 · 11 February 2013]

I watch documentaries all of the time, but Spinning Plates really made me feel connected to each and everyone of its characters. When one goes into a restaurant you aren't simply eating the food it is art, love, and nourishment.

Spinning Plates was heartfelt and eye opening to say the least. Working in restaurants almost all of my life I can truly identify with the passion and sacrifice that goes into the process. Within this film you get to see three very different stories each with different talents and restaurants, but there is one thing in common between each of them. Each of them wants and strives to share their love with their patrons.

Spinning Plates made me laugh and even tear up to see the struggles and triumph each one of these restaurants faces. By far one of my favorite docs this year!

Three very different restaurant chef owners who have a huge passion for cooking describe their struggles that have overcome to keep their restaurants alive.

[jayjun1992 · 9/10 · 28 March 2014]

This is everything that you would want in a food-based documentary for both foodies and non- foodies alike. It feels authentic and real without being harsh or brazen. As the film unfolds, you get a good sense of who these restaurant owners/chefs are not just as business owners but also as fellow people struggling to keep their dreams alive.

It is refreshing also to see that these restaurant owners belong to completely different demographics, having experienced completely different obstacles so that most viewers could relate to at least one of them.

The focus on the food and the kitchen gives a look into each of these chefs approaches to applying a mixture of their hard work and heart into their culinary creations. Though they are all different, all the delectable food definitely entices and intrigues and will make your mouth water.

Watch this and it won't disappoint, even for those who are not typically interested in documentaries.