Eat This New York Movie Review

Starting a restaurant is suicide, no question. Four of five restaurants fail within five years, and Eat This New York reminds us of this in its opening few minutes.

So why would we think that John and Billy, our wet-behind-the-ears stars from Minneapolis, can turn a run-down hovel underneath the elevated train tracks in Brooklyn into a success? No money, no experience, endless problems -- here comes the pain.

Too bad for directors Kate Novack and Andrew Rossi they were beaten to the punch by the hit reality TV show The Restaurant, which probably has given the world its fill of dining drama. That's a shame, because these guys are much more engaging than egomaniac Rocco DiSpirito (who, fame whore that he is, also appears in this documentary, along with a half-dozen other restaurateurs, who wax poetic about how rough the business is, especially in New York.

Bitch bitch bitch. Of course it's a tough racket, and frankly there's nothing very surprising here. Can't get a loan? Rain on your construction site? Yep, that's how it goes, folks.The biggest heresy at all is that the film abruptly ends shortly after the restaurant opens. What happened!? (Turns out Cafe Moto is still open and playing klezmer music for the masses.)

Eat This New York is well-made and has genial leads, but as a documentary it's got absolutely nothing to say. If you're considering launching a restaurant, this movie might talk you out of it, but casual viewers will have trouble figuring out why they should care.