User Reviews

In 2008, the world was greeted with, what has been called, one of the most startling and frightening documentaries ever made. It was Robert Kenner's Food, Inc., an acclaimed, highly-regarded, Academy Award nominated account of the horribly corrupt, unsanitary practices of the American food industry. It was a film that told a lot of facts, but used much of its material as an effort to scare the American public, while presenting it as a problem with no conceivable solution. Also, its own talking point, about how America should overhaul its heavily-preserved, pesticide-ridden food in favor of a greener, more organic lifestyle, was one it didn't really back up. As a documentary as a whole, it did its job (to inform me as a viewer), and I was happy to have seen it. I just wished I had seen it when it was followed by a filmmaker Q&A where I could've asked those involved how did they expect the American people who were on welfare, minimum wage, and food stamps to convert to a life predominately consisting of organic food products?

And now, we have A Place at the Table, a documentary focusing on that same group of people, which has been depressingly expanding for years on end. We open with exterior shots of various big cities in the United States, before closing in on a smaller one, Collbran, Colorado a western, rural land comprised of humble, desperate folk who are struggling to make ends meet. We see a church organization member recall how when he started serving hot meals to the public, where anyone can come and eat for free, on Wednesday night, an unprecedented eighty to one-hundred and twenty people showed up. It was a large indication that many people in Collbran were not just desperate for frivolous things, but for something they can't live without.

We then expand to other various cities, such as Jonestown, Mississippi, one of the many American towns that suffers from food insecurity. That is when the public, or its townspeople, do not know where they next meal will come from. Think long and hard about where yours will. Mine will likely be a home-cooked meal, with meat, one or two sides, a salad, and a drink. Many Americans, even children, will be lucky to get one of those things.

Another term defined in the documentary is locations ominously called "food deserts," which are areas where places that carry healthy food packing nutrition, vitamins, and necessary fulfillment don't exist for miles on end, leaving the only resources to be from local stop-and-shops that stock up on food filled with unhealthy fats and empty calories. I was raised where a salad accompanied almost every meal, seemingly by law, not by choice. Seeing young children who have likely never eaten a radish, a cucumber, lettuce, or an onion in their lives is a stunningly upsetting.

Statistics are batted off quite frequently, saying that one in two children will grow up on food stamps in the United States, 30% of people suffer from food insecurity, and currently, over fifty million people in the United States are underfed and undernourished. One of the earliest statistics seems contradictory, but will come as no surprise after a few seconds; Mississippi is the most obese state in the country and it's also the most unfed. Vegetables, again, are difficult to access in many areas, so food that stocks gas station shelves like chips, Cheetos, cupcakes, and hot dogs and sausage that spend nearly half its time on a warming tray are usually what's for dinner. It's, too, widely known that people receiving government aid and food stamps can not afford to spend much of their cash on "luxury items" such as vegetables, because it needs to get them through the month. The government has long subsidized corn, soybean, and wheat products, and has neglected to back vegetables and nourishing products with the same political commodities, we're told. "For years, we've been subsidizing the wrong foods," says Marion Nestle, a food professor.

Just a few days ago, I was talking with a friend and spoke the thought that if we lived in a perfect world, wouldn't basic necessities such as food and clothing, in their simple sense, of course, be free to the public? Wouldn't thinks like milk, bread, and corn be available on a no-cost basis to the consumer. The key words were "in a perfect world." in the world we currently inhabit, prices are sky-rocketing for the stuff we should eat and plummeting on the stuff we shouldn't. You, dear reader, reading this review, send me a picture of a sign that boasts in big, bold primary colors vegetables for an amount equivalent to the price of a two-liter bottle of soda or a bag of Lays potato chips.

A Place at the Table, again, doesn't offer many solutions to this problem, but they are quick to point out what is currently being done in the favor of stopping hunger in a country where there's more than enough healthy food to go around. Food banks, charities, and pantries, which have increased from two-hundred nationwide to a whooping 40,000 in thirty years, have been turning up to temporarily combat the problem, but a functional, long term solution is still in the works. American actor Jeff Bridges, who is responsible for founding the organization called the End Healthy Network in efforts to assist starving kids and adults, poignantly states, "if another country was doing this to our kids, we would be at war. It's just insane."

Full review at http://stevethemovieman.proboards.com

A PLACE AT THE TABLE (dir. Kristi Jacobson, Lori Silverbush) A brilliant documentary that confronts America's perennial inability to deal with the widespread problem of hunger in our nation. Ronald Reagan slashed federal programs that were beginning to solve the issue by the late 1970's, however he cynically felt that the matter would best be solved by relying on good old fashioned Christian charity. And it didn't work then, and it doesn't work now. Millions of Americans struggle daily with 'food insecurity' (you don't know where your next meal is coming from), and it seems that our leaders are convinced that the poor have it far too easy, and are just too dependent on the largess of the American tax payer. However, the film does expose the pertinent fact that America's richest food corporations were able to continue to enjoy 100% of their lavish federal government subsidy, yet the food stamp budget was severely cut to pay for a program to end childhood hunger. So much for our so called 'Christian' policies, and the film provides yet another reason for me to continue to be a proud secular humanist.

Lori Silverbush and Kristi Jacobson's documentary "A Place at the Table" is a film that every politician - indeed, every citizen - in America should be forced to sit through at least once (or as many times as it takes to get the message to effectively sink in). It makes a very persuasive case that, contrary to what most people think, hunger is a major problem in the United States, a nation that prides itself on being the wealthiest in the history of the world. Not only does the movie provide the startling statistics necessary to back that assertion up, but explains why this is the case.

Silverbush and Jacobson build their case in a meticulous, logical fashion, beginning with the common, counterintuitive fallacy that hungry people necessarily equal thin people. The movie explains how obesity and hunger often go hand in hand, thanks to the fact that, since junk food is cheaper than healthy food to purchase, the poor often fill up on empty calories rather than the nutritious ones that would actually make them healthy. This is a result of a misguided federal policy that provides subsidies for agribusinesses (as opposed to mom-and-pop farmers), who turn their grain and corn into inexpensive processed foods. Since farmers who grow fruits and vegetables work more independently of one another, they don't have the clout necessary to receive similar government support. This leads to a vicious cycle that winds up hurting poor people in both urban and rural areas where "food deserts" arise in which residents can barely find a fresh fruit or vegetable to purchase.

The movie rightly celebrates the many charities that pick up some of the slack, but it makes the case that that is simply not enough, that an entire paradigm shift may be necessary if we ever hope to solve the problem.

Ultimately, what we discover is that hunger is merely a symptom of a much greater set of problems - which are poverty, income inequality and a political system rigged to benefit the wealthy and powerful at the expense of the indigent and disconnected. Above all, the key lies in both the public and private sectors providing a living wage for their workers.

Finally, beyond all the statistics, beyond all the comments by experts and authorities on the subject, it is the voices of the parents, who can't afford to put nutritious food on the table for their children, and of the children themselves, who often go to bed hungry or malnourished, who wind up making the greatest mark on our hearts. It is their testimonials more than anything else that will hopefully move the rest of us to action.

A must-see film.

A Place at the Table is a documentary that looks at hunger in America. The film follows several families and their struggles to fill their plates day after day. Band-aid fixes are just not cutting it. The problem of hunger in America is just getting worse. The film is a sobering look at the reality that many Americans face.

My wife and I downloaded this from iTunes today and were so impacted by the film. The film follows several people of different races and backgrounds, urban to the South to the mountains of Colorado. All are working (as the film goes on) but none make enough to buy enough food to be sure it will last all month. Many of them do not even qualify for food stamps/bridge cards. The fact that the poor and hungry have little lobbying impact in Washington compared to the gigantic agribusiness flood of money is clearly part of the reason we see this dilemma where the richest large nation fails miserably in keeping its working poor feed. Please see this film if you care about this issue. Many of your opinions may turn out to be misconceptions founded on stereotypes.

As for Marc Newman's criticism, the idea that charity organizations like food kitchens and food banks sponsored by churches (yes, those clips of devoted pastors and churches were kept in and were very impressive) could solve this problem is ludicrous. We are talking about 50 million people and 13 million children. As my pastor (who is VERY conservative) says... the problem is overwhelming. There is no way volunteer and charitable organizations can meet the demand, and for Mr. Newman to suggest it could makes me wonder if he has ever worked at trying to get food to the poor. Many of us have done so and we know how huge this problem is... far beyond the resources of the faith community. As was noted in this documentary, the government once before almost totally eliminated hunger (in the late 70's) when both Democrats and Republicans (including Ronald Reagan) made it a priority. The government could do it again if it desired.

After watching this documentary, all I can say is, some Americans are downright HYPOCRITES. By pushing their pretensions to help the world, with setup movies and all the Cr*** that we see

The most chocking part is that, we can never see those faces in world vision add! But they exist.

Now, Africa does not look so bad after all… 50millions in one country? That almost the same for Africa (the continent) with over 50 something countries in it. Instead of American government to admit and call it what it is starvation, like always they plays with words "food insecurity" hum How is it possible to let my own family starve and give food to my neighbour's?

It's a national disgrace than nearly 50 million of our American neighbors live in homes that can't afford enough food. This compelling film explains why we have this problem, and, most importantly, what we can do to end it. Granted, I am biased because I fight hunger for a living, but I do think everyone in America should see this film.

The film powerfully documents the real lives of real people struggling against hunger. Each of them defy common stereotypes of hungry people.

Many Americans believe that we can end U.S. hunger one person at a time, one donated can of food at a time. They are well-meaning. But they are wrong, as this powerful film proves. When Ronald Reagan entered office in 1981, there were only a few hundred emergency feeding programs in America, most of which were traditional soup kitchens serving mostly the people who had been historically the most hungry—single men with substance abuse or mental illness problems. Yet, as a direct result of the economic policies and social service cuts set in motion by Reagan, the number of emergency feeding programs in America skyrocketed, and continued to do so even after he left office. There are now more than 40,000 such programs in America, and roughly two-thirds of them are food pantries, where parents and their children, the elderly, and working people obtain free groceries. Meanwhile, hunger has soared. The truth is that these agencies simply don't have anything close to the resources needed to meet the demand. The organization I manage, the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, found that, in 2011, close to sixty percent of the approximately 1,100 soup kitchens and food pantries in the city were forced to ration food because they lacked resources, either reducing portion size, limiting hours of operation, or turning away hungry families. These agencies are so under-funded that nearly 50 of them were forced to close in New York City in just the last few years.

This vital film proves that the only way to truly end U.S. hunger is by advocating for fundamental change that include living wage jobs and a robust government safety net.

"A Place at the Table" completely transformed my paradigm of America. When I hear the words "hunger" and "starvation," images of ravenous, malnourished, dying children in Africa instantly pop into my head. However, this poignant, simple, and impacting documentary showed me that "hunger" could be sitting right next to me in school. This 84-minute documentary details with moving austerity how and why even in America, the world's richest nation, children are going hungry.

Featuring Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, the founder of the End Hunger Network, "A Place at the Table" follows people, all from different towns and cultural backgrounds, who are food insecure. In other words, they have no idea when and how their next meal is going to come in. 50 million people in America are food insecure. This not only stunts physical development but mental development as well. Take Rosie, a fifth-grader growing up in rural Colorado. She tries to focus in school, but hunger pains cause her to zone out or to imagine her friends and teachers as fruits. Her dream is that one day, her kids can do what they want to do and what they need to do without going hungry.

Another instance is Barbie, a single working mother with two kids. Her toddler son mumbles and has an attention-deficit symptom. This is because of the lack of food for Barbie and her family when he was born. The lasting effects of hunger in a child's first years impact a child much more deeply in the brain than the body. It's an emotional moment to see Barbie break down into tears in front of her kids, exhausted of the intense struggle to make ends meet.

The documentary grippingly touches on so many different issues. It clears up myths and breaks stereotypes. A false paradigm that America blindly looks through is that hunger doesn't exist because children struggle with obesity. However, obesity, hunger, and being food insecure go hand-in-hand. Because of a low income, families on a very limited budget shop for the cheapest foods in store – chips, cookies, and ice cream. Produce is simply too expensive.

Hunger exists not because there is not enough food. Hunger exists because it isn't a big enough issue on the political agenda. The documentary is packed with real statistics and visuals that are not just standard, cold numbers, but the toll of hunger is shown in the glimpses of families scrambling to break the cycle of poverty. This film calls out to audiences to end hunger in America by alerting politicians and the government. "It's just appalling," says actor Jeff Bridges. "You know if another country was doing this to our kids we would be at war. It's just insane and it doesn't have to be that way."

"A Place at the Table" will truly open your eyes to the harsh realities of a food insecure nation. I am determined to push forward in this fight of ending hunger, and I believe our nation can rise out of the pit we've buried ourselves in. America's youth has a passion and an unbendable will to fight for what's right, and if pointed in the right direction, I believe that the American Dream of prosperity can come true. The only thing standing between now and the extinction of hunger is the hurdle of ignorance, clouding youths' and the government's minds. Share this documentary with friends and family – I recommend this for all ages. If we act with urgency and boldness, perhaps one day, everyone will have a place at the table.

Reviewed by Cassandra Hsiao, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 14. For more reviews, go to kidsfirst.org.

Great subject for a documentary but I struggle so hard with the solutions given. Only the second grade teacher was even close to touching on the subject. We have to teach children at a young age to GROW their own food. Some of these families are living in areas where they say they can not buy fresh produce yet the grass around their house is 6 inches tall. Start small,lettuce seeds... that's how I learned. I can feed my family for three dollars a day on huge veggie sandwiches. Sure, it's not going to solve the problem over night but kids, parents, teachers just need to change their idea about what REAL food is. Edible landscaping in schools with kids learning about seeds! Charities handing out cookies and sh*t snacks is only making the problem worse. Don't ask Washington for help!! You're never going to get it. We need churches and charities to give people seeds. Learn to grow your own food, harvest the seeds, and you will never be hungry again.

This documentary should be seen by everyone who think that the economic system in the US is a perfect one. It also shows how much the people that actually generates wealth are exploited, just for the record bankers, financiers and the stock-market don't generate wealth, its the people that make products and services that benefit humankind that generates wealth.This of course comes from a guy that most Americans would consider a communist.

It warns about the future problems that the US might face if this type of problem is as prevalent as it depicts( I don't know all the facts behind this film ). If it is accurate then I hope for the people in the US will fix it instead of hope for the stock-market to fix it, it will not do that.

Clearly, there's an important message in this film about how are agricultural policies are impacting society.

The participation of Oscar-winner Jeff Bridges raises some questions. Let me explain why.

In the 70's Jeff Bridges was one of the celebrity faces of the controversial est program developed by Werner Erhard. (Real name, John Rosenberg.) Erhard also created the Hunger Project, whose agenda was to fight hunger through est-like thinking on the part of hungry people.

The film mentions an international hunger program inspired Bridges to start the End Hunger Network, without naming the Hunger Project.

So the question is, how much Erhard/Hunger Project content is in "A Place at the Table?" Given all the front groups they've used, and the filmmakers non-disclosure on Jeff Bridges' involvement, it's impossible to say.

Excellent show. An eye opening documentary about the short falls of our ability to provide adequate nutrition for some our most needy members of society. If we all would take a close look, not just at own lives but our friends , family or even our neighbors, we may find how rampant this problem is. Our school lunch program is not perfect and it needs some help. The only way it's going to get help is by people who are willing to fight and do what needs to be done. What if we were to minimize the administration cost, the labor cost and put more money to the cost of a nutritious complete meal. Work as a collective group to end this problem. Please volunteer, make a difference in the lives of our children, give what can be given, care for the well being of the children and our future generations.

Not earning enough money to be able to feed yourself and your family is NOT the issue, it's a lack of education and discipline.

The fact that the most obese segment of our population is also the poorest and "hungriest" is SO frustrating. These people buy soda, sweets, fast food etc. but then claim they don't have enough money for vegetables...bull. It's just an excuse to say poor me and still indulge in gratifying yet unhealthy foods. I go to the store and buy 5 POUNDS of carrots for $5. 10 pounds of beans for $12. 5 pounds of brown rice for $3. This is a TREMENDOUS amount of nutritious food for only $20 that can feed me for a WEEK. This is obviously not ideal since we're still missing green leafy vegetables and fruit, but it's WAY WAY better than the junk food most of these people were eating. I say again, it's not a money issue, it's an education and discipline issue. Beans are packed with protein, rice gives you energy, and vegetables give your body the needed nutrition. Cookies, cakes, soda, chef boyardee, fast food etc. are all addiction foods that are very costly on your wallet and body, the solution is so stupidly simple that all the people complicating it should be ASHAMED!

As a side note, the waitress in the first scene was complaining about how little her paycheck was every two weeks, shame on her for not telling the whole truth. You don't waitress for the paychecks, you do it for the cash tips, how many cash did you accumulate in two weeks? Didn't want to mention that one did ya?

The same family also said they don't buy vegetables anymore because it's too costly, well then, STOP making cakes and pies and start buying carrots and celery if you really care. Otherwise, don't act like you can't afford it when the reality of the situation is you don't want to buy the healthy stuff because it doesn't taste as good.

I saw this for the 2nd time last night, the 1st time was 3 years ago-it was part of our English class curriculum that year. When I found it at the Dollar Store I decided to see it again since I enjoyed it.

This movie is an engaging documentary about hunger in America. We follow about 3 families in our country who struggle with it. There are 2 that stuck with me: Rosie and Barbie.

Rosie is an 8 year old girl who struggles with food-to the point that her teacher has to bring her ramen noodles and sweets-it's the most she can do for them. Rosie describes how hungry she is at school, and also shows that her church helps her out as well.

Barbie is a mother of 2 kids who has a minimum wage job as a restaurant cook. (The pay is cheaper since this was filmed 7 years ago.) She buys junk food since it's overall cheaper, and this causes health issues for her kids.

The movie, overall is interesting and very informative. I highly recommend seeing it. But I have minor issues with what is presented:

Rosie does seem like a poor girl. We hear how little food she has(her fridge may have 2 fruits at most, but it's weird to see her unpack food from her teacher with VHS tapes like True Lies and Jurassic Park in the background.)

I mention this detail, not because it's movie-related, but because that is counter-intuitive to me. If you have VHS tapes, why don't you ask any friends to buy a few, and use that to buy food? I own roughly 450 movies as of now. If I have a situation where I need food, I would ask some friends to buy DVDs off of me to lessen my wants and increase my needs. I'm just saying!

Another flaw I noticed from the reviews in here, is the 2nd story I mentioned. I go to the Dollar Store and I can get a box of candy for $1.00. A reviewer here states things like:

"I go to the store and buy 5 POUNDS of carrots for $5. 10 pounds of beans for $12. 5 pounds of brown rice for $3. This is a TREMENDOUS amount of nutritious food for only $20 that can feed me for a WEEK. This is obviously not ideal since we're still missing green leafy vegetables and fruit, but it's WAY WAY better than the junk food most of these people were eating....

Cookies, cakes, soda, chef boyardee, fast food etc. are all addiction foods that are very costly on your wallet and body, the solution is so stupidly simple that all the people complicating it should be ASHAMED!

As a side note, the waitress in the first scene was complaining about how little her paycheck was every two weeks, shame on her for not telling the whole truth. You don't waitress for the paychecks, you do it for the cash tips, how many cash did you accumulate in two weeks? Didn't want to mention that one did ya?

The same family also said they don't buy vegetables anymore because it's too costly, well then, STOP making cakes and pies and start buying carrots and celery if you really care. "

(Credit to Jason-Leondias1984 for the quote)

To be less harsh, I agree- canned veggies would be better than junk food, and if you can afford all of those sweets then you can buy vegetables!

Despite these minor flaws, this is still an eye opening documentary that is well worth seeing. (I mentioned that I have seen it twice.) This is still a problem in our country either way, and while this movie gives no clear resolution to the issue, it's asking the viewer to create some. I gave a few, and I recommend that you see this movie to come up with your own.

In short: Slightly flawed, but highly recommended.

Note: It may seem hypocritical to give this a 9 due to flaws and Religulous with major flaws. The latter was indeed flawed, but it gave me a more powerful impact. That is why the latter ranks higher.

To the people going on about, and snubbing that "obese people just drink soda etc." you really miss the point. So much about hunger, and this documentary pertains to ACCESS. Why in the richest country in the world are there food deserts? It's all great to say, eat broccoli instead of chips, but in many parts of the world, the chips are the cheaper, and only food available. Why? We can not all afford or even have access to organic, lush foods. That is part of the problem. Not to mention lack of liveable wages. And, why should the church be solving the problem of hunger? Our ideology devalues human life. Years later if the Covid pandemic has taught us nothing, it's that most people are a just a pay check away from being food insecure. It has zero to do with weight, or laziness or whatever myopic excuses people who apparently never suffered a day in their life, portend to make it about.

This film is intended to provoke an emotional response. It would be more effective with some solid documentation, not just assertions, animated hyperbolic graphs and a few heart wrenching stories. The film shows several serious problems in America today including, under employment, single parent families, lack of education (nutritional and general), and absence of close knit community (ie. where is Barbie's support system?). All these problems contribute to poverty and hunger.

I was stunned by the response to the Congressman who asked the man who was testifying on behalf of the poor if he had done any research on where the money was to come from. "You will fund your priorities." So, the public just gives Congress a wish list and 'poof' it gets done? That kind of thinking fuels debt in families and in government.

I'm a flaming liberal. I support nutritional aid for children, but I could barely watch this movie, it was so self-righteous.

Hunger in America is a problem, food deserts are a problem, school lunches with too much fat, salt and sugar are a problem. However, I didn't see much in the way of solutions beyond "the government should do more".

One family profiled had dozens of pets between horses, dogs and cats. They couldn't have sold the horses? Another inner city family featured a single mom with no education and few career prospects. Her situation of not being able to support 2 young children by herself on $9/hour could have been avoided with decent family planning.

Citizens need to take responsibility for themselves first. I'm all for helping the person who lost a job, got sick, etc. My sympathy is not as available for people who deliberately paint themselves into a corner.

Frontline on PBS took on this issue last year and did a much better job of showing local solutions solving real problems.