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Startup.com
Artisan Entertainment


8.0

based on 32 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 6 votes
Read user comments
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FILM:

Control Room

Internet Movie Database

MPAA 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)

GENRE(S):	Documentary
DIRECTED BY:	Chris Hegedus Jehane Noujaim
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: September 18, 2001 Video: September 18, 2001 Theatrical: May 11, 2001
RUNNING TIME:	103 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	USA

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...

100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman

For sheer dramatic wallop outpowers virtually every fiction feature I've seen this year.

100

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.

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.

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.

Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan

With no easy heroes or villains, Startup.com can be a Rorschach test for viewers.

Los Angeles Times Robin Rauzi

Nimbly documents the rise and fall of a Web company through its charismatic leaders.

LA Weekly Judith Lewis

Startup.com goes from being a mildly interesting true story to a ripping good train wreck in the making.

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.

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.

Washington Post Rita Kempley

Astute and entertaining documentary.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Rolling Stone Peter Travers

Delivers more suspense than a tombful of mummies.

Chicago Reader Lisa Alspector

Deep and textured drama.

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

As an inside view of the bursting of the Internet bubble, Startup.com is definitive.

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.

USA Today Mike Clark

A cautionary tale very well-told.

San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann

An eye-opening documentary.

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.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer William Arnold

Always absorbing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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Startup.com Artisan Entertainment

Startup.com
Artisan Entertainment