62
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt’s a playful and tasty crash course in deli history, deli dining and deli language, a world of smoked meats, cured meats and fresh fish. Vegetarians are excused.
- 75New York PostKyle SmithNew York PostKyle SmithThere should be a word for the friendly rudeness of deli waiters: In the documentary Deli Man, they’re described as being as brusque and familiar with you as if you’re there three times a day — even if they’ve never seen you before.
- 75San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco ChronicleFor the most part, good food and good cheer are the order of the day here, and the chatty, old-school Ziggy serves as a reliable — and touching — tour guide.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranLos Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMuch to its credit, the documentary Deli Man wisely chooses not to bemoan the decline but to celebrate the robust survivors that remain as well as the culture they preserve.
- 60Arizona RepublicKerry LengelArizona RepublicKerry LengelThere's nothing particularly earth-shattering here, but maybe that's appropriate for a film honoring food that aims to be mouthwatering but unpretentious.
- 60Village VoiceChris PackhamVillage VoiceChris PackhamChinese and Italian cuisines in America recall the traditions of homelands to which their practitioners can return. Not so with the Jewish traditions of Eastern Europe that inform delicatessens; those communities were destroyed in the Holocaust. This is one of the themes of Deli Man.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfEntertainingly, the klezmer-scored Deli Man charts the history of urban eateries, nowhere near as prominent as they were during the early 20th century but still a vital link to Yiddish-accented comforts.
- 50The New York TimesBen KenigsbergThe New York TimesBen KenigsbergThis documentary goes heavy on the schmaltz, in all senses.
- 50Austin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenAustin ChronicleMarjorie BaumgartenDeli Man needs more meat on its rye.
- 50Boston GlobePeter KeoughBoston GlobePeter KeoughIn balancing the more objective cultural history of delis with a personal profile, Anjou serves neither well. Perhaps he should have chosen one course or the other.