Customer Reviews

"Very good, very thorough. Could perhaps have been shorter, with more editing. That said, I enjoyed it thoroughly and felt it presented a very balanced portrayal of Jeff Smith, his impact on American food culture, and his many flaws and crimes."

"A good documentary but not great. I felt it spend too much time on the fall of the Frugal Gourmet & it barely scratched the surface of the good. More in-depth coverage on the actual cooking show such as food topics, episodes & what the studio looked like in 1997 versus 1984 would have made my documentary watching experience more worth the $20 cost."

"I thought the overall documentary was good. The first two episodes maybe showed too many clips and didn't build the narrative. At the end, the documentary was pretty well balanced but left me feeling, like most of those interviewed, conflicted. It was interesting to see how even his accusers seemed like they were willing to put this trauma behind them. I thought the segments with the priest were particularly hard to watch. Cringy. I would recommend it to others who have an interest in the Frugal Gourmet, of which I was a big fan."

"Excellent documentary. Having been a fan of the show I was very excited to see it and couldn’t wait for the premiere. I binge watched the entire series in one afternoon. It is very well done, I highly recommend it"

"I didn't know much about the Frugal Gourmet, so I found the documentary fascinating. I was infuriated with the pastor who said that Jeff's greatest flaw was that he was too honest; but with that said, I highly recommend this documentary to all."

"Overall, I thought the series was easy to follow and summarized the story well. I docked one-star because there was a lot of speculation as to Jeff Smith's private life or thoughts. Another star did not get taken off because I realize some of the speculation was about how people were processing the information they were hearing and their personal experiences with Jeff. The series became a way to demonstrate the multiple viewpoints which did help me to name how I processed the series' information."

"Overall, the series was very good and interesting, though it could have probably been done in 3 or 4 episodes. We would have liked to see a bit more history of his childhood and upbringing, and maybe a segment that explored the mental health aspect of his life a bit more deeply. Something to examine potential explanations for the "why" of the way he was. Nonetheless, it was a a thorough and balanced overview of a complex and troubled man, accompanied by a nostalgic review of the birth and history of food television in the United States."

"Fascinating series. A deep look into a complicated personality. The interviews of friends, employees and coworkers were so honest and obviously painful for some. The editing was well done kept me engaged for the entire 5 part series. I like the the old videos shown in a television of the era, that was a nice touch."

"It was more of a history of him than a major breaking story as it was advertised. Interesting, but I’m not sure I would pay $20 again if I knew then what I saw now."

"Very well done documentary, as a 68 year old man I lived through these times with Jeff. Loved his show, had one of his cook books. It was really hard for someone to come out in the 70's, homosexuality was still listed as a mental disorder until 73. I think this led to many people leading double lives instead of being who they really are. No excuse for any abuse certainly, it's just very sad when a person can't be authentic."

"Excellent docuseries. Worth the price to watch such in depth storytelling, and to support an independent filmmaker. Almost as disturbing as Smith's predatory behavior is the priest's willingness to make excuses for it."

"Really interesting documentary. Interview format, so a lot of people to keep track of and listen to. I would be interested to learn more about the story from his family’s point of view! In other words, this documentary made me want to know more. As much as I miss Smith’s influence on my culinary life, I believe those who came forward!"