Viva Les Amis

I haven't seen this documentary, but insofar as I loved and miss Les Amis, I'd like to see it. One of my happiest memories ever is being 17 and having an illicit glass of wine or two there with Rick Linklater and Douglas Coupland, and thinking to myself that I was just about the hottest shit ever. *sigh*.

Viva Les Amis looks at one local café as an example of a national trend: The loss of the mom and pop shop. The film explores the 27 year history of Les Amis Café – a sidewalk café that served almost three decades of eclectic customers and staff.
The film also looks at Les Amis Café and Austin by decade. During the 1970’s, a counterculture of hippies, musicians, mimes, and protesters flocked to the café. In the 1980’s, punk rock dominated the landscape. Les Amis held an occasional punk rock show, and countless customers watched skateboarders whiz by on the street. In the 1990’s, big business, hi-tech companies, and a rapidly growing population changed the face of Austin. As a city grows, what is lost?

Viva Les Amis plays at the alamo drafthouse downtown on Tuesday May 3rd at 9:45.