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Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story
Metascore
54 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: M. E. Russell
    75
    Never actively unfunny. The cast is far too smart for that. But it never quite pops like it would if it were whittled down to something just a little longer than an "SNL Digital Short."
  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Van Gelder
    70
    The story is told in faux-documentary style, echoing the films of Christopher Guest, and if the cast never quite matches Mr. Guest's ensemble in comic inventiveness, they nonetheless manage to invest a very slight story line with a loose, scruffy charm.
  3. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    67
    This is a movie about people trying to squeeze maximum recognition and pride out of the one thing they do reasonably well, and much of Blackballed's comedy comes from their attempts to maintain their dignity when they fail.
  4. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Erin Meister
    63
    Fueled by off-kilter characters, charming and funny -- if haltingly awkward -- dialogue, and a reasonable amount of thematic ingenuity, "Blackballed" succeeds as a modest tribute to the kind of aging boys club that idles for hours in somebody's parents' rumpus room, its members tossing around big-man talk but trapped in emotional adolescence.
  5. Variety
    Reviewed by: Joe Leydon
    60
    The deliberately jittery hand-held lensing enhances the mockery in this mockumentary.
  6. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    50
    Overlong at just 91 minutes, Brant Sersen's sardonic sports mockumentary would have made a hilarious short film. Instead, it's a mildly amusing feature that takes a few too many potshots at some very broad targets.
  7. New York Post
    Reviewed by: V.A. Musetto
    50
    Corddry leads a game cast, but the film is rough around the edges...It would play better as a TV sketch.
  8. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Maitland McDonagh
    50
    Though the performances are surprisingly good - the characters are drawn with a broad brush, but the actors, almost all professional comics, hit all the right notes - the material just isn't funny enough to justify the film's length.
  9. The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
    Reviewed by: Stephen Cole
    50
    Fails to ever come alive as a human comedy in the manner of the best mockumentaries.
  10. Film Threat
    Reviewed by: Merle Bertrand
    50
    About as flat as a five day old soda.
  11. Austin Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Marjorie Baumgarten
    50
    In the end, Blackballed doesn't take home the winner's cup, but its genial stick-to-itiveness and reasonably well-aimed humor earn the film at least a good sportsmanship trophy.
  12. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Ben Kenigsberg
    50
    A mockumentary that exhausts its best joke with its premise.
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