Holy Rollers
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Metascore
51 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 23 Critics What's this?

User Score
5.5 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 11 Ratings

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  • Starring: Danny A. Abeckaser, Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha
  • Summary: Holy Rollers is inspired by actual events in the late nineties when Hasidic Jews were recruited as mules to smuggle ecstasy from Europe into the United States. Sam Gold, a young Hasid from an Orthodox Brooklyn community reluctantly follows the path his family has chosen for him, awaiting a pending arranged marriage and studying to become a Rabbi. A charming neighbor, Yosef Zimmerman (Justin Bartha), senses Sam's resistance and propositions him to transport 'medicine' for Jackie, an Israeli dealer, and his girlfriend, Rachel. Sam quickly demonstrates his business skill to his bosses, who instantly take Sam under their wing. Now exposed to the exciting and gritty worlds of Manhattan and Amsterdam nightlife, Sam begins to spiral deeper into their detrimental lifestyle, experimenting with ecstasy and then falling for Rachel. As the business grows, Sam's double life begins to rip his family apart and the community becomes suspicious of his illegal activities. Sam slowly comes to realize the façade behind the easy money and parties. Caught between life as a smuggler and the path back to God, Sam goes on the run, forced to make a fatal decision that could bring the entire operation crashing down. (First Independent Pictures)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 19 out of 23
  3. Negative: 0 out of 23
  1. NPR
    Reviewed by: Bob Mondello
    70
    Eisenberg lets us see Sam's growing distress, and also the fortitude with which he faces down his fears -- few young actors are as adept at simultaneously conveying panic and bravado.
  2. Boxoffice Magazine
    Reviewed by: Ray Greene
    60
    Holy Rollers is mostly a marker being put down by some talents to watch, especially Eisenberg, who is greater than fans of "Zombieland" could have imagined.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Joe Neumaier
    60
    Eisenberg - seemingly in every other movie nowadays - gives his best performance since 2005's "The Squid and the Whale" in a film that dramatizes a fascinating New York story.
  4. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: David Fear
    60
    It’s gratifying to see Eisenberg move past nerdy-cutie parts; his slim shoulders, it seems, are capable of handling more than Michael Cera’s leftovers.

See all 23 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. Onear
    6
    After I first saw a synopsis of this film I was immediately intrigued; "Based on the true story of a young Hasidic Jew who gets caught up in the international drug smuggling trade." You can't make this **** up. Its actually quite a genius idea to use a sector of the community whose moral fiber is known to have such a high standard to carry out low life deeds. Throughout the film you slowly see the transition of the main character, Sam (Jessie Eisenberg) from a future rabbi to a pivotal person in an illegal operation of drug trafficking. Thrown into a life where his fate is already decided makes you sympathize for the boy. It makes you question your own moral code and if you would be able to resist the ecstasy (pun intended) one would feel from such a heist and the extravagant lifestyle that it brings. It's quite easy to see how he did. Still I feel the films based on true stories tend to take the allure out of the ending, especially with such an
    abruptness to it. Because the real life story doesn't have any high profile notoriety, they should have including more of the details of the operation's discovery and eventual collapse. But the single person story complimented the ability for the viewer to understand the life and cognition of the main character. While a bit of an obvious choice as he tends to play roles of introverted characters, I thought Eisenberg was an overall good choice. He clearly demonstrates the type of actor the role is intended for. Much of the film depends on his ability to persuade the audience that they understand who he is and how he is driving the plot. While Ari Graynor did an excellent job the rest of the small cast was at best mediocre and pretty replaceable. But overall, I enjoyed the film and it did a good job of keeping my attention.    … Expand

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