Gimme the Loot
Sundance Selects | Release Date: March 22, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
81
METASCORE
Universal acclaim based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
26
Mixed:
1
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
RogerEbert.comSheila O'MalleyJun 11, 2013
Gimme the Loot is thrilling, although there aren't any stereotypically "thrilling" sequences. The thrill comes from the compulsively watchable dynamic between the two leads (non-professional actors, both of them), the excellent supporting cast (also non-professionals), and the fun use of multiple locations throughout the bustling metropolis. Read full review
91
The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayMar 20, 2013
It’s a bright, lively movie, with a vision of New York as a multicultural free-for-all, where everybody’s always looking to see what they can take from everybody else. Read full review
91
The PlaylistGabe ToroMar 15, 2013
Gimme The Loot involves drug-dealing, constant foul language and vandalism, but Hickson and Washington, both attractive and charismatic enough to be stars, carry the film with an air of lightweight pleasure, keeping it light and bouncy. Read full review
91
Christian Science MonitorPeter RainerMar 15, 2013
Leon has a marvelous and rare eye for blending staged dramatic sequences into documentary settings, from barrio bodegas to high-rise penthouses. He often films in extended, unbroken takes, and this gives the actors a chance to work up their own distinctive rhythms. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranMar 28, 2013
Filmmaker Leon has deftly structured Gimme the Loot as a picaresque tale, an anecdotal, observational film that introduces us to all manner of eccentric and original characters. Will Malcolm and Sophia get what they want, what they need, or something in between? The only sure thing is that being along for the ride is pleasure of the most unexpected sort. Read full review
90
VarietyPeter DebrugeMar 15, 2013
While Leon’s script can’t help but be episodic as the characters scheme their way out of one scrape after another, their shenanigans are compulsively watchable, brimming with enough details to make this modest film grow large in the memory. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsMar 28, 2013
This is a true New York movie, though in its ear and eye for atmospheric beauty it feels more French. Read full review
88
Rolling StonePeter TraversMar 21, 2013
Instead of the easy attitudinizing that is the default position for teen comedies, Gimme the Loot fills each frame with raw talent and exuberance. Read full review
85
NPRScott TobiasMar 21, 2013
Leon isn't a flashy director, but he has an excellent sense of proportion. Gimme the Loot unfolds in a series of loose, funny, naturalistic scenes, but they never trail off into improvisational vapors. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianMarc MohanMay 2, 2013
To top it all off, the movie ends with one of the best covers of "I Shall Be Released" you'll hear, courtesy of gospel singer Marion Williams. Read full review
83
Film.comStephanie ZacharekMar 20, 2013
A true New York City movie, alive every minute. There’s some Woody Allen in its veins, but it’s driven more by the free-for-all spirit you find in pictures like Peter Sollett’s 2002 “Raising Victor Vargas” and Spike Lee’s 1986 “She’s Gotta Have It.” Read full review
83
IndieWireEric KohnMar 15, 2013
A stitched-together combo of outlaw energy and bittersweet romance that gives the impression of Little Rascals in the big city. Like the graffiti art it documents, it's a lovingly handmade affair. Read full review
80
Total FilmJames MottramAug 28, 2013
Full of ear-pleasing lines and obscure R&B tunes, it’s colourful, casual and full of flavour. An unexpected treat. Read full review
80
EmpireDavid ParkinsonApr 29, 2013
Funny and freewheeling, it's a joy. Read full review
80
New York Daily NewsMiriam BaleMar 21, 2013
Director Adam Leon, 31, has slyly and reverentially crafted a perfect New York movie, including the class tensions, relentless hustling and spontaneous connections that best define the exuberant strain of the city. The soundtrack, filled with mostly soul oldies, somehow feels exactly right for the sweaty New York summer of this scrappy kid-venture. Read full review
80
The New York TimesA.O. ScottMar 21, 2013
Gimme the Loot has a lot to say about the contradictions of a place that is defined by both abundant opportunity and ferocious inequality. But the film makes its points in a lighthearted, street-smart vernacular, treating its protagonists not as embodiments of a social condition but rather as self-aware individuals who are, like teenagers everywhere, both smart and dumb. Read full review
80
Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonMar 21, 2013
Leon’s grungy resume indie is a conscientiously modest deal in the end, with a sweet, mumblecoresque ending, but it glows with unmistakable star power. Read full review
80
Time OutDavid FearMar 19, 2013
These two trash-talkin’ Picassos may or may not end up getting their due, but Leon and his two extraordinary actors (especially Washington) have already put us squarely on the side of the beautiful losers regardless. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMonica RieseMay 15, 2013
First-time feature director Adam Leon’s shots are precise and full of detail; it almost doesn’t even matter what’s being said (which is good, because the dialogue sounds stilted at times). What’s important is the art, and Leon and his leads have a palpable passion for it, but they also aren’t afraid to stop and smell the carnations along the way. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaApr 4, 2013
The pair are scrappy and smart and riff off each other like a no-budget, indie version of Tracy and Hepburn. It's impossible not to like them, and there's absolutely no reason not to. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy BurrApr 4, 2013
Mostly it’s a footloose tour through the noise and sun of a summer metropolis and an unassumingly wise portrait of a friendship. Read full review
75
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeMar 22, 2013
The young, novice actors are charming, but they haven’t completely mastered the art of natural-sounding dialogue. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperMar 20, 2013
It’s funny as hell, sometimes too self-consciously “indie” — but it leaves us with a final shot as perfect as anything I’ve seen to close a movie in quite some time. Read full review
70
Wall Street JournalJoe MorgensternMar 28, 2013
Little by little, though, the cluelessness grew endearing, the cross-purpose conversations intricately funny, the gritty look appealing. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterDavid RooneyMar 8, 2013
Writer-director Adam Leon’s debut feature, Gimme the Loot, is a scrappy, funny, warmly observed delight from start to finish. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineMar 8, 2013
A nose-to-the-ground portrait of two believably aspirational protagonists and their constant hustle to make good on the movie's eponymous demand. Read full review
60
The GuardianPeter BradshawMay 3, 2013
Some of the movie doesn't exactly convince, and some of the scenes have an actors-improv feel to them, but there's always plenty of humour and energy. Read full review
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