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Startup.com
EMAILPRINTArtisan Entertainment

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 32 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Documentary
Written by:
Directed by:
Chris Hegedus
Jehane Noujaim
Release Date:
Theatrical: May 11, 2001
DVD: September 18, 2001
Running Time: 103 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for language
Starring Tom Herman, and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman
Acclaimed documentary team Chris Hegedus, D A Pennebaker and newcomer Jehane Noujaim take a behind-the-scenes look at the volatile start-up phenomenon, chronicling the turbulent development of govWorks.com, an award-winning Internet site that facilitates interaction between local government, citizens and businesses. (Artisan Entertainment)
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
For sheer dramatic wallop outpowers virtually every fiction feature I've seen this year.
Read Full Review >Mr. Showbiz Kevin Maynard
The film ends with a surprisingly upbeat coda. But Startup.com leaves us with a sense that our heroes' idealism will be forever lost.
Read Full Review >Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
A thrillingly, thoroughly wonderful film.
Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman
The coolest film in town offers industrial espionage, power struggles, thwarted romance, betrayal and suspense - and best of all, it's true.
Read Full Review >Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
This small story that tells the much bigger story of the New Economy's bubble and burst is less a documentary than it is breaking news.
Chicago Tribune Mark Caro
Combining the immediacy of the Internet and the wise perspective of history, Startup.com proves that investing in real-life drama can reap rich dividends.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan
With no easy heroes or villains, Startup.com can be a Rorschach test for viewers.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Robin Rauzi
Nimbly documents the rise and fall of a Web company through its charismatic leaders.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Judith Lewis
Startup.com goes from being a mildly interesting true story to a ripping good train wreck in the making.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan
It also has heart and soul, two commodities all too often in short supply in the field of garden-variety cinema verite.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
Moves slowly and grimly toward the moment that for the audience is the most engrossing though filled with dread: when things begin to unravel and the participants are no longer aware of the cameras. That is when your shoulders tense and you lean toward the screen.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Amy Taubin
Has all the hallmarks of a Pennebaker production. The editing is seamless, the drama builds throughout, and the arc of the central character is as shapely as in a Hollywood fiction.
Read Full Review >Film.com Sean Means
The result is a movie that turns the financial phenomenon of Web startups -- the crazy kids with ideas, and the crazier bankers with more money than sense -- into a moving human drama.
Read Full Review >Time Richard Schickel
This gripping documentary doesn't exactly say what went wrong, but the pain and puzzlement of its principals as things inexorably fall apart is palpable and saddening.
Read Full Review >Variety David Rooney
Topical film, which goes beyond its potentially dry diet of facts to incorporate the juicy human drama of Machiavellian manipulations, ambition, torn loyalties and crushing betrayal.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Jeff Stark
A story about risk, about hubris, about youth, about the old way and the new way, and about what happens when you trade everything for something that really isn't there.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
As an inside view of the bursting of the Internet bubble, Startup.com is definitive.
Read Full Review >Miami Herald Rene Rodriguez
If nothing else, Startup.com is a pointed reminder that mixing business and friendship never, ever works.
New York Post Lou Lumenick
An unforgettable portrait of a testosterone-driven era.
Read Full Review >Baltimore Sun Michael Sragow
The giddy excitement of Startup.com comes from feeling as if you're inside the bubble as it soars into the stratosphere - and pops.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jami Bernard
Some of the simplest shots give you the full picture of the price these guys paid for their dreams.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
The story of the business is historically interesting, but the story of a friendship tested to the breaking point is timeless.
Read Full Review >New York Magazine Peter Rainer
There's something a bit condescending about how the movie devolves into a falling-out-between-friends scenario, as if the only way our attention could be held by this subculture were if it was presented to us sentimentally.
Read Full Review >Slate David Edelstein
Some people are finding it difficult to live with the idea that Kaleil could put his employees through hell, lose $60 million of other people's money, and wind up a movie star.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones
The filmmakers no doubt had a hell of a time whittling the material down; unfortunately, what they came up with was something long on the mundaneness of GovWorks.com and short on the personalities behind it.
Read Full Review >New Times (L.A.) Gregory Weinkauf
For a general audience the entertainment factor is quite low. The project may best serve us not on the screen, but in a time capsule.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Lucy gave it a 7:
Pretty rancid for a movie about a dot.com failure. Kaleil is unimpressive as both an actor and businessman. He should retire from both careers and try to find another niche where his personality might fit--accounting perhaps?
Ab Pr. gave it a 9:
Outstanding picture. Really covers the arc of the phenomenon well. More detail on the actual business would have helped the film, but it is emotionally captivating nontheless.
Marc D. gave it a 9:
Clearly the best documentary for non-documentary watchers since "American Movie." Though the subject matter could have made for a rather depressing film, Kaleil's Clintonesque likability makes for an enjoyable experience.
Jason D. gave it an 8:
A good example of (1) how not to run a business; (2) how not to run a friendship; and (3) how to make a compelling documentary (much as this is a good example of how to make numbered lists).
Ryan M. gave it a 5:
It's not interesting until you realize that you've been watching in for 130 minutes.
