X
- 2017
- Not Rated
- Gunpowder & Sky
- 1 h 39 m
- 2017
- Not Rated
- Gunpowder & Sky
- 1 h 39 m
Summary Writer/director Ted Braun follows controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman as he puts a billion dollars on the line in his crusade to expose Herbalife as the largest pyramid scheme in history.
- 2017
- Not Rated
- Gunpowder & Sky
- 1 h 39 m
- 2017
- Not Rated
- Gunpowder & Sky
- 1 h 39 m
Betting on Zero
72
7.8
Where to Watch
Summary Writer/director Ted Braun follows controversial hedge fund titan Bill Ackman as he puts a billion dollars on the line in his crusade to expose Herbalife as the largest pyramid scheme in history.
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
72
100% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 9 Critic Reviews
72
100% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Mixed
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Betting on Zero makes such a strong and effective case that the company does, in fact, engage in shady business practices that it’s likely to leave viewers in a state of Documentary High Dudgeon (that brand of cinematic outrage that is not entirely unmixed with a pleasurable feeling of moral superiority).
Betting on Zero takes a matter-of-fact approach to its material, but it makes a convincing and sometimes emotional argument against Herbalife.
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 User Ratings
7.8
83% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
User Score
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 User Ratings
7.8
83% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
17% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
The movie is gripping from beginning to end. Growing up I saw many in the Spanish-speaking community **** into what was obviously a pyramid scheme. Even sadder, the pyramid-scheme( or "multi-level marketing") incentivizes the poor to prey on their fellow man and vulnerable members of the community -- I can imagine how many elderly folks lost their retirement due to schemes like this. Watch this documentary and spread the word!
P.S. Also, it seems that the number scores of critic reviews for this move are artificially low, considering the positive reviews they link too. For example, the Village Voice's. Seems kinda fishy...
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This is a truly brilliant movie detailing how Herbalife scammed so many people from impoverished backgrounds. I truly cannot believe how a company can be allowed to operated the way Herabalife does. Herbalife is bad for the US and bad for the American people.
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It’s repetitive and jargon-filled and a little too long. But “Zero” is still a fascinating story, troubling and chilling when you realize that the people in charge of the government now are the very people we need government to protect us from — scammers, frauds, “wealth re-distribution” hustlers and their protectors.
Even if it tells the age-old story of the filthy rich getting richer and the poor going nowhere, Betting on Zero is still rather shocking.
Even without an upbeat ending, though, Betting on Zero would be persuasive advocacy.
The situation is heartbreaking and frustrating. But the film is so persuasive that it could help finally tank Herbalife's shares and validate Ackman's gamble — possibly preventing thousands of others.
It may not be entirely inspiring, but Betting on Zero captures the everyone-for-themselves desperation that would make any wronged individual furious, be they jilted employee or frustrated stockholder.
This movie doesn't tell you anything new. The richest people use the poorest to get richer. That's something that not only has been done throughout history, but it's something that has been the topic of dozens of documentaries, of all types of industries and styles. This one is a little too long for my taste, especially because of the way the topic and the way the concepts are introduced, so as a movie, is not necessarily the best made. Nevertheless, the human aspect of the story is both fascinating and deeply moving because it tells you from different perspectives how a situation like this not only can devastate victim's lives, but also how different types see and react to the situation. I hope that this kind of movie spreads the message of all that have been victimized by this situation, but also makes us as public more interested in learning more because I believe that has to be the greatest objective of a documentary, make you interested in something and wanting to learn more. In that aspect, this movie succeeds. This gets a recommendation for anyone, just for the human aspect of it.
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Production Company
Biltmore Films,
Zipper Bros Films
Release Date Mar 17, 2017
Duration 1 h 39 m
Rating Not Rated
Genres
Tagline The Ultimate Shakedown
Awards
Hamptons International Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Montclair Film Festival (MFF)
• 1 Nomination
Tribeca Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
