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Chop Shop
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Metascore
83 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: Alejandro spends his days in an adult world, running errands and convincing customers to come to his boss's garage instead of a competitor's garage. He's also learning how to paint and repair cars. Although conditions are harsh, his life is sprinkled with moments of happiness as he carves out a life for himself in the wasteland of the Iron Triangle. The brightest of these moments is the arrival of his sister Isamar, who moves in with him in the tiny room that he has found for them perched in the back of the shop where he works. Knowing that creating a better life for the two of them is their best bet at staying together, Alejandro finds her a job in a food van cooking and selling meals to the workers in the Iron Triangle. With a mixture of childlike naiveté and adult ambition, Alejandro begins obsessively saving his money to buy a mobile food van. The two dream about owning and running a small business of their own. But when their dream--as well as their loving relationship--is threatened by the hard truths of life, work, and one another, the children find themselves forced to make the kinds of difficult decisions that most adults never have to face. (Koch Lorber)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    100
    Bahrani's willingness to expose the shameful reality of third-world conditions in the Land of Plenty while telling a crackling good story marks him as a filmmaker as important as he is accessible.
  2. Philadelphia Inquirer
    Reviewed by: Steven Rea
    100
    Beautifully observed, and beautifully acted by the novice thespian Polanco (culled from a New York City public school), Chop Shop is at once a heartbreaker and a story of hope and the American Dream.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    Now we have an American film with the raw power of "City of God" or "Pixote," a film that does something unexpected, and inspired, and brave.

See all 20 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 1 out of 7
  1. SlaineE.
    10
    Wicked, deep, heavy, the reality that some kids live.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. NickM.
    4
    Bahrani's portrayal of the Bronx and urban life is amazing, but there's too much lacking to make it a successful story. The actors feel young and palpably directed, and the plot lumps along until the end, missing on what should be its climax. A documentary treatment of the Bronx would have been as vivid, and come off with more authenticity in characters. No seriously.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. RobertF.
    0
    Quite possibly... no it is the worst movie I've ever seen in my entire life. I kept watching just to see if something was going to happen. It was pointless from beginning to end. Nothing happens... don't waste your time on this one.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 7 User Reviews

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