Review of Deli Man (2015) by Steven G — 14 Mar 2015

This is just a wonderful documentary that Jewish people in particular will really enjoy. Deli Man is a documentary about the history of Jewish Kosher Delis in the United States. It's informative and very interesting thanks to some of the terrific personalities in this documentary. Fyvush Finkel (famous actor 92 years old), Jerry Stiller, and Larry King all add their interesting and often funny comments about Jewish delis. The influx of Jewish immigrants in the 1800s and 1900s is detailed in relation to the growth of the delicatessen business. The rise of the dwindling number of Jewish Delis are detailed. Famous delis such as Katz's, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate n Al, Carnegie, and the Stage are discussed. The difficulties of the business and the reasons that many of these delis are closing are also detailed.

The best part of the movie are the actual deli owners who really show their emotional attachment to Jewish culture and tradition which are fighting to continue. In particular the documentary focuses on Ziggy Gruber who has created what might be the greatest of all the delis in Texas of all places. Ziggy has a fantastic outgoing personality. He steals nearly every scene he's in. He is a very colorful figure and Ziggy along with his family are the focus of this movie. Ziggy adds humor and a very strong emotional component to this movie thanks to his joy and enthusiasm towards a very interesting subject. I highly recommend this movie to people who enjoy documentaries where colorful characters add to your desire to know more about a topic. You should run to see this terrific light hearted documentary.