A Place at the Table (2013)
Average Rating: 7.3/10
Reviews Counted: 55
Fresh: 49 | Rotten: 6
A Place at the Table is a well-reported documentary that raises important questions about the state of hunger in America culture.
Average Rating: 7.5/10
Critic Reviews: 22
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 3
A Place at the Table is a well-reported documentary that raises important questions about the state of hunger in America culture.
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Average Rating: 3.8/5
User Ratings: 1,215
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Movie Info
49 million people in the U.S. - one in four children - don't know where their next meal is coming from, despite our having the means to provide nutritious, affordable food for all Americans. Directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush examine this issue through the lens of three people for who are struggling with food insecurity: Barbie, a single Philadelphia mother who grew up in poverty and is trying to provide a better life for her two kids; Rosie, a Colorado second-grader who often has to
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All Critics (55) | Top Critics (22) | Fresh (49) | Rotten (6)
Hunger in America is not about a shortage of food but an abundance of poverty. This is where the spiral spins downward.
Top CriticA shocking indictment of how people are starving in the land of plenty ...
You don't have to be a fan of info-graphics in social-justice docs to be troubled by one showing that the price of processed food has decreased in almost exact proportion to the rise in cost of fresh fruits and vegetables.
"A Place at the Table" presents a shameful truth that should leave viewers dismayed and angry: This nation has more than enough food for all its people, yet millions of them are hungry.
One thing is clear from "A Place at the Table": You cannot answer the question "Why are people hungry?," without also asking "Why are people poor?"
It specifically addresses our country's hunger crisis. But it also speaks to larger hungers. Hungers for independence, a dignified life, a better chance for ones children-in short, the American dream. See it and weep.
A smart, poignantly argued documentary [which] casts obesity and hunger as neighbors, and makes a persuasive case for important social investments.
Enlightening documentary that, hopefully, propels people to take action.
Filmmakers Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush chip away at the topic until their message becomes unassailable.
It doesn't offer much in terms of optimism, but provides an eye-opening glimpse into a frequently overlooked social issue.
Jacboson and Silverbush know how to make this potentially unpleasant news palatable and inspiring.
Food for thought.
A documentary about the shocking extent of hunger in America, affecting 1 in 4 children.
Provides plenty of moving case studies...[but] it's most useful for its prismatic look at the problem of American hunger, examining the problem's recent history, its root causes...and its inextricability from other national crises...
Hunger in America, seen through the eyes of its victims, with an emphasis on children. Sobering documentary addresses a shameful problem.
As moving as the real lives are, for a film clearly intending to be a call for action, hunger cries out for more journalism and not just depressing stories and statistics.
A Place at the Table makes a strong case that hunger for one is a problem for all.
Directors Kristi Jacobson and Lori Silverbush explore the surprisingly difficult obstacles to ending a situation where about 1 child out of 4 faces insecurity over where to get a meal.
A Place at the Table may bring to light a hunger epidemic the entire United States faces, but it also casts an even darker shadow on an already tainted world.
Powerful docu explores the problem of hunger in America.
An explosive investigative documentary about the injustices emanating from agricultural capitalism, how it's more about who gets to define what food is, and exactly who hugely profits from it.
Audience Reviews for A Place at the Table
This film seems to place great emphasis on food security, or the ability or knowledge that food will be provided, rather than on food sovereignty, or the ability and knowledge to manufacture and have control over one's own food sources. There are solutions that were not discussed in this film that need to be considered. While it is true that if just a few rich people would share then the world could be fed many times over, it is ridiculous to depend on this to happen because if there is one thing we can count on, it is that the rich will stay greedy. Additionally, since our federal government is currently supporting 50 million people on EBT and are maxed out spending money they no longer have, they are not the answer. The only long-term solution is personal responsibility.
Self-reliance is a major principle that was missing in the movie's approach; teach people to improve themselves and their situation rather than reinforcing that they are helpless and ever-dependent. I kept thinking at any moment they were surely going to mention putting seeds into soil and growing food. This can literally be done anywhere: in windowsill containers, hanging pots, and larger containers; many different types of easy-to-acquire things can be used as growing containers, so people with no yard can still grow food. Additionally, seeds and foodplants can be purchased with EBT, so there really is no excuse for not doing it.
The teacher who brought fresh fruit to class was great - keep that up and kids will actually want to grow their own food. She got many of the students wanting a snack like that over, say, chips, but then it was implied again that they were simply helpless until the over-burdened government does something about it. So how about if the school yards in this country are all turned into gardens? This would be a great way to avoid reliance on the government to fill all the voids. Gardening should be a mandatory part of their education, so that they can learn where food actually comes from, eat healthy food, prevent obesity and future health problems, and learn a valuable life-sustaining skill that they could pass on to their kids.
The way things are going with the economy and overpopulation, every home and institution should grow their own. Growing and preserving your own food can save a fortune on groceries from the grocery store and can feed the hungry in mass quantities. The woman and young girl in the film appeared to have more space than we do; I bet she would love gardening. Landlords nearly always allow the growing of food. And if for some reason growing food at home is impossible, community gardens are a possibility as urban gardens are increasingly being looked to as a possible hunger solution in urban areas across the U.S. Considering this, I am exceptionally perplexed that this was not mentioned as a possibility in the film; the producers have done a disservice by stating the problem but no possible solutions.
This film is a frustrating disappointment for anyone looking for possible answers; watching it made me a nervous wreck because I just wanted to get in there and demand to know, "where is the garden? What are you doing to improve your situation?" Focusing on only one "solution", dependence on the government, is a counter-intuitive effort that stops possibility-thinking and promotes the cycle of dependence. Our country has been poor before--how about we take lessons from families who lived through WWII? Everyone was required to grow food during this time, and it worked. People have done it before and so can we, without having to rely on the government, on grocery stores, or on corporate farming!
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
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| Excerpt from the film | 2 months ago | 0 |
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March 1, 2013:
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Foreign Titles
- A Place at the Table (DE)
- A Place at the Table (UK)
Not unlike the 2008 documentary Food, Inc., this documentary humanizes the gaudy statistics on hunger as it argues America is torching it's own.
One of the most shocking statistics of the film was delivered by CEO of the Share our Strength organization, Bill Shore: "One our of every two kids in the United States, at some time in their childhood, will be on food assistance."
The film uses anecdotal cases like the sickening tale of a 5th-grade girl named Rosie who's learning is suffering due to her constant hunger in a valiant effort to show the viewer what hunger looks and feels like.
"I struggle a lot and most of the time it's because my stomach is hurting," Rosie said. "I look at the teacher and all I can think about is food."
The film profiles a family in the 708-person town of Collbran, Colorado. The family of seven often runs out of food and are a handful of the 50 million Americans who are "food insecure." The term is coined for those persons who don't know where their next meal is coming from. According to the film, one and six Americans say they don't have enough to eat.
Next, you taken to Philadelphia where young single black mother who recently lost her job struggles everyday to feed her children and herself. She says her dream is to go to college, but her situation makes that nearly impossible.
The film stuffs a dozen or so interviews with public figures and activists including Tom Colicchio and Jeff Bridges.
As sort of a sub-plot, the film also exposes our societies's unhealthy eating habits. It speaks correlation between rise in hunger and the rise in obesity. The film gives the history of farm subsidies around the time of the Great Depression. According to the film, Farmers were the first to be hit hard once the economy collapsed. There was pressure for there to be government assistance in place to help farmers get a decent price at harvest time. The original idea was to support farmers, which were mostly small, family owned farms at the time, temporarily and then let the market take over when the time came.
Well, our government never let the market take over. The family owned farms turned into giant agribusiness. The 250 billion in subsidies, or tax-payers money, given to these giant agribusinesses over these years hasn't been re-payed. In fact, it's given these giant businesses the ability to set the market price on harvested goods. This is why fruits and vegetables cost significantly more processed food. According to the film, people want bang for their buck. Americans want the most calories for the least amount of money.
According to the film, President Obama proposed an additional 1 Billion a year to strengthen child nutrition programs. As the statistics strongly show the money is needed, it initially received praise from all those who heard the proposal. Then, the president revealed that that money would be taken from affluent land holders. That didn't go over so well; The proposal we shot down within 24 hours.
According to the film, after months of debate Congress passes "The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act." The bill amounted to 4.5 Billion increase over the next decade, which the video revealed was a 6 cent increase per meal. Antinomically, over half the bill was paid for by cutting Food Stamps. The bill basically stole from the hungry to give to the hungry.
About 70 minutes of this 80-minute flick focuses on the terrible state of 49 million Americans who do not get enough to eat. After sitting through over an hour of this pain-staking downer, you'll think there is going to be some light at the end of the tunnel. No, A Place at the Table gives the viewer no hope of resolution on the issue at hand. It's certainly a worthy fight that against hunger.
The anecdotes and force the viewer to take notice while pulling at his or her heart. It's a topic that shouldn't be ignored. However, A Place at the Table will leaves the viewer feeling more hopeless than inspired.
A Place at the Table is dark and gloomy; it is an informative slap in the face and it may ruin your day.