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Metascore
35 out of 100

Generally unfavorable - based on 9 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 6 out of 9
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  1. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    70
    Farnsworth brings a smidgen of scary energy to the social hellfire, and his newbie cast often out-act the pros.
  2. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    50
    If it were possible for an entire state to sue for defamation of character, Iowa might have a strong case against writer, director and star Matt Farnsworth.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Laura Kern
    40
    As the downward spiral continues, "drugs are evil" is pounded into our heads again and again until numbness sets in; in this case, even a touch of subtlety would have sent a more powerful and lasting message.
  4. Chicago Tribune
    Reviewed by: Michael Wilmington
    38
    A flashy-looking low-budget indie about drugs, love and crime in small-town Iowa. But, speaking as an ex-small-town Midwesterner, I found it hard to buy.
  5. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Kyle Smith
    38
    There's not much story but there are plenty of colorful, almost David Lynchian drug freakouts, as well as lots of sick violence.
  6. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Mark Olsen
    30
    Just because the filmmakers have their roots in the Midwest doesn't give them a pass when it comes to their stereotypical rendition of small-town people and ways, chock-a-block with sadistic cops, shotgun-toting locals, and strippers from up in Des Moines.
  7. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Sam Adams
    30
    Farnsworth's frenetic, often hysterical first feature tries desperately to find a style, or styles, to call its own, but there's never a moment that doesn't feel as if it's been chewed up and spit out a dozen times before.
  8. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: J.R. Jones
    30
    Underneath the wrapping lies a squalid Tarantino-style crime flick.
  9. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Elizabeth Weitzman
    25
    A story of miserable people leading miserable lives, Iowa is a sour vanity project: trash posing as a socially relevant "cautionary tale."
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