Black Gold
California Newsreel | Release Date: October 6, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
5
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
If you've never given much thought to the lives affected each time you choose one brand of coffee over another, allow this handsomely mounted documentary from British filmmakers Marc and Nick Francis to serve as a bracing, double-shot of reality. Read full review
80
Film ThreatPete Vonder Haar
The film's effectiveness is bolstered by juxtaposed scenes of fat and happy Americans and Europeans slurping up frozen chai lattes and clucking about how big Starbuck's is getting with scenes of children going into "therapeutic feeding centers" in the region where Starbuck's gets its coffee because they can't afford to by corn. Read full review
80
VarietyRobert Koehler
The Francises are aces behind the camera, displaying an elegant sense of composition that makes their subject visually ravishing. Andreas Kapsalis' gorgeous score lends doc a grand quality. Read full review
80
Village VoiceRob Nelson
No mere Western-guilt-inducing harangue, this highly informative documentary by British brothers Marc and Nick Francis is a model of patient storytelling. Read full review
80
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
An engrossing documentary. Read full review
80
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
Beautifully shot and edited with swift efficiency, Black Gold joins a cadre of recent films that shine a welcome light on how the stuff we buy gets to us and, more to the point, how the price of that stuff often has little to do with its real cost. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
Black Gold moves at an inexorable pace, painstakingly building a case until suddenly it looms very large and casts an even longer shadow. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Phillips
Guaranteed to make you think twice about what you're paying for what you're drinking. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeJanice Page
You buy "fair - trade" coffee; you assume you're being socially responsible. But now, along comes Black Gold to tell you that all fair-trade coffee is not created equal, and that Ethiopia, the "birthplace of coffee" and home of some of the world's best beans, may be getting the least fair shake of all. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
A film of stark and galling contrasts. Read full review
70
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
Black Gold is more an Al Gore-style message of hope than a total downer. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
One of the most disquieting (and challenging) statistics is left for last: if Africa's share of world trade increased by only one percentage point, it would generate $70 billion a year, five times what the continent receives in aid. Who wouldn't want that? Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Dramatically objectifies the unfair trade practices that help keep Africa mired in poverty. Read full review
63
New York PostV.A. Musetto
A dry but enlightening documentary. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
While plenty of information is imparted in the impassioned proceedings, the film loses some impact because of its lack of a compelling structure. Read full review
60
EmpireDavid Parkinson
While it may prompt some to think again next time they're in Starbucks, this astute insight into the coffee business is better at lauding the good guys than taking the multinationals to task for the iniquities of the global economy. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerBill White
There are shocking facts and supportive images, but the film lacks investigative spirit. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNoel Murray
There's been a proliferation of "globalization sucks" documentaries over the past couple of years, but few have been as blunt as Black Gold. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Some documentaries are so well-made they transcend the nature of their subjects. This is not one of them. Read full review
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