75
Metascore
17 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckA real-life thriller that rivals the most dramatic fiction in terms of emotional impact.
- 90Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlThe documentary is stellar, despite some vague visual-metaphor stuff involving dioramas in an attic. Bring something you can punch, as you will be furious.
- 88Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaKids for Cash is no-nonsense, no-stone-unturned filmmaking.
- 88Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsChicago TribuneMichael PhillipsAn impressive, often enraging feature-length debut from director Robert May, deals carefully and well with the so-called kids for cash scandal.
- 83The A.V. ClubA.A. DowdThe A.V. ClubA.A. DowdWhat May is really after, in other words, is a glimpse at a post-Columbine America, where punishments don’t always fit crimes, cures are often worse than diseases, and the courts are frequently being used as a catchall solution to very normal discipline problems.
- 80VarietyRonnie ScheibVarietyRonnie ScheibThe film represents a scathing critique of America’s juvenile justice system, the privatization of penal institutions, and the whole notion of “zero tolerance.”
- 75ReelViewsJames BerardinelliReelViewsJames BerardinelliKids for Cash may not be inherently cinematic (a lot of the footage, after all, first appeared on television) but it is compelling.
- 60Time OutKeith UhlichTime OutKeith UhlichMay’s biggest get, however, is Ciavarella himself—a man forever rationalizing his shady actions, who emerges as a more complexly tragic figure than you’d think possible.
- 60New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanIt’s worth seeing Robert May’s vital judicial expose — not only to learn about the titular scandal, but also to appreciate both the highs and lows of human resilience.
- 30The DissolveAndrew LapinThe DissolveAndrew LapinA heavy-breathing, narrowly focused outrage-generator about a corruption case that both the court of public opinion and the actual court system have already agreed was outrageous.