Spinning Plates

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.