The House I Live In
Metascore
77 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
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  1. Charlotte Observer
    Reviewed by: Lawrence Toppman
    Oct 25, 2012
    88
    I've heard that one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. By that standard, the U.S. "War on Drugs" seems crazy indeed in The House I Live In.
  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    Oct 10, 2012
    88
    Jarecki's film makes a shattering case against the War on Drugs.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    Oct 3, 2012
    100
    David Simon, creator of "The Wire," who argues that the targeting of minorities, fused with mandatory sentencing, has turned the war on drugs into ''a holocaust in slow motion.''
  4. indieWIRE
    Reviewed by: Eric Kohn
    Oct 4, 2012
    83
    A personal work not because the director chooses to make himself a part of the story, but rather because he implicates all of us in it.
  5. New Orleans Times-Picayune
    Reviewed by: Mike Scott
    Nov 30, 2012
    100
    The House I Live In is not a comfortable film to consider in any respect, but without discomfort it's hard to feel anger - and without anger, it's hard to imagine that anything will ever be done about it.
  6. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Marc Mohan
    Oct 25, 2012
    91
    This film could serve as a potent tool for those trying to change 40 years of public policy.
  7. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: G. Allen Johnson
    Oct 18, 2012
    100
    Jarecki takes a highly original approach to create a compelling, thought-provoking look at a highly relevant and controversial topic.
  8. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Noel Murray
    Oct 3, 2012
    83
    The result is a movie that jumps all over the place, but with the ultimate intention of showing how the public's attitudes and assumptions about drugs have changed over the past half-century, guided by politicians and businessmen with a stake in misinformation.

User Reviews

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User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 6 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. LamontRaymond
    5
    It's a good documentary in that there are so many issues addressed therein that require examination (and often indignation), but it goes a bit too far and fails to even posit alternatives. I love that they highlight the difference in sentencing guidelines between powder and crack cocaine. Completely asinine, even if you don't believe that it's targeting non-whites. The other issue that I feel is huge is the manipulation of federal housing assistance - ex-cons were denied housing assistance for all but the "red" zones on the city maps - essentially the ghettos. What was not discussed in this film was exactly how the experts would deal with drug dealers in absence of jail sentences. And when the son of the Columbia professor says that he can't raise 2 kids on $8 an hour, the father should have said, "YES, YOU CAN!..... It's a start! Get 2 jobs paying $8 each, and make your dollars last!" It seems that personal accountability is not given enough weight in the discussion. And comparing the US war on drugs to the Holocaust was disgusting. I know there are elements in common between genocide and marginalizing a group of people for actually doing wrong (buying and using drugs), but David Simon (who I love from "the Wire") goes too far when he suggests that the US policy is becoming "Kill the Poor." Hard-working poor folks who don't commit crimes? Those are the people killed in Germany, Poland, Cambodia, and Russia. They don't go to prison and get killed in the U.S. It's a bridge too far, and takes away from many of the valuable lessons of the film.… Full Review »
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