User Reviews

A golden nugget!! Astor Barber All-Stars is such a welcome preservation of the history of one of New York City's most iconic institutions. Still a hidden gem to some, Astor Barber represents so much of what New York City has been made of for decades. Gehres's documentary is a rare golden capsule, seeing behind the scenes of such a shared & celebrated piece of our fabric in the city. I love how unguarded and freely open the subjects were. A credit to the filmmaker. I didn't know it was also such a mainstay for so many celebrities among locals alike! A fantastic unmasking of very honest and unabashedly quirky personalities, this documentary was so fun and made me feel like I was part of their community.

What a great documentary that captures a great piece of modern NYC culture and history. And the best is that Astor is still going strong. This is a such a great document of the kinds of people and institutions that make this city so incredible. It was a brilliant idea for a documentary, and beautifully executed. Very much worth your time.

As a New Yorker who got his haircut at Astor Place Barbers for over a decade, watching this amazing documentary brought so many fond memories flooding back. As teenagers, a trip to Astor was a exciting outing for us, taking the LIRR to "the city" where we would scour the East Village for t-shirts, pins, records, all to be culminated with a trim at Astor Place.

To see Alberto, who was my go-to guy for as long as I can remember, made me smile. I recall his station completely tricked out in soccer memorabilia (god help you if you went for a trim while the World Cup was on television). Alberto is to "Astor Barber All-Stars" as Grace Coddington is to "The September Issue."

Such a fun love letter to one of NYC's most enduring and relevant institutions of fashion, style, culture, art and social intersect that defines that great city.

And kudos to Karen Gehres who truly captured the sights and sounds of this shop that could only thrive in a city like New York. #onlyinNewYork

The Astor Barber All-Stars is a fascinating look at a cultural phenomenon, a barbershop filled with history and characters out of a reality sit-com. Nothing contrived or gimmicky about this. The filmmaker, Karen Gehres, gives a brilliant portrait of a professional subculture that is poignant, revealing and very funny. There are subjects who work in the barbershop. There are customers whose parents used to patronize the shop. There are traditions & practices in the art of hair-cutting that have changed with the times and many that have been sustained at this remarkable place for decades. Well worth watching.

A-buzz is bursting about "Astor Barber All Stars" ! This film should be seen by EVERYONE! This NY institution is known by all New Yorker's and for all those who love New York....which is the center of the universe! Those who have never walked down the stairs and opened the doors will go on a magical ride seeing the "all-stars artistry" in action! I have heard hairdressers say "I'm a beautician, not a magician"! The director Karen Gehres shines the light on these hairdressers who are indeed "magicians"! Karen captures the genius of the personalities of the hairdressers, who bring out the spirit of the client, and spices it up! I was astonished to see the skill in the creativity with cut and color with ALL styles! Applause , applause . applause ! "Astor Barber All-Stars" is a MUST see!!!

The Vezza Family are naturals and so is this documentary! Incredibly enjoyable and entertaining! So interesting ...we want to visit this one of a kind place! So could relate to these down to earth , hard working and real-Americana!Amazing how people continue to reveal their deepest darkest secrets to hairdressers and barbers! Imagine what these people know and could share about the STARS! This documentary could unleash such a great interest with our facuation with Hollywood and Stardom! When can this be a weekly series???? Loved it! Next visit to NYC will include Astor Barber! Definitely an ALL STAR DOC! We continue to want more about the family and all the wonderful and talented ALL -STAR stylist!