How to Make Money Selling Drugs
Tribeca Film | Release Date: June 26, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
3
Negative:
1
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
Village VoiceErnest HardyJun 25, 2013
It's a smart, funny, tough-minded film crammed with data and personal anecdotes, each illuminating the other, each sketching in the staggering costs—and not just financial—of the ways authorities in this country have shaped the drug issue. It's far from glib. Read full review
88
The Seattle TimesTom KeoghFeb 8, 2018
Cooke presents a case that the war on drugs in America is not only a no-win scenario, it is no longer (if it ever was) designed to be won as much as fulfill disturbing, narrow agendas in the public and private sectors. Read full review
83
Portland OregonianMarc MohanJun 28, 2013
For most of its running time, How to Make Money Selling Drugs is a cheeky, moderately interesting look behind the curtain of the trade in contraband substances, from the corner dealer to the cartel-topping drug lord. Read full review
80
Time Out LondonTom HuddlestonDec 17, 2013
The result is entertaining and insightful, balancing cold statistics with real-life stories of success and tragedy, presenting a broad, clear-eyed view of an increasingly complex issue. Read full review
80
NPRLinda HolmesJun 27, 2013
Whether or not you agree with its underlying critique of existing drug policy, How To Make Money Selling Drugs is an ambitious, creative attempt to talk in a single film about everything from the disparate treatment of black and white dealers to the influence of asset forfeiture on law-enforcement strategies to the devastation of Mexico's drug war. Read full review
80
SalonAndrew O'HehirJun 27, 2013
Despite its slick packaging and overtly facetious premise, director Matthew Cooke and producer Adrian Grenier’s faux-educational documentary How to Make Money Selling Drugs packs a wallop. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinJun 27, 2013
As the filmmaker unfurls the harsh, essential facts, both past and present, about America's complex relationship with drugs — along with tobacco and alcohol's longtime place in the equation — the movie gains serious power and momentum. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleDavid LewisJul 11, 2013
Cooke may overstuff his documentary with too many points, but if a young person had to watch just one film about the drug war, this is not a bad choice. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Geoff PevereJun 27, 2013
As it turns out, making money selling drugs is pretty win-win as far as it goes, but keeping it is another matter. So the title isn’t so much a joke as a bleak comment on a desperately cynical economy: In the drug trade, as well as the dubious “war” declared against it, everybody ultimately loses. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineRob HumanickJun 24, 2013
The film employs a flashy text-and-graphics aesthetic that immediately brings to mind the satirical undercurrent of a Grand Theft Auto video game. Read full review
67
IndieWireErik McClanahanFeb 8, 2018
The film is often compelling, clever and entertaining, but oddly enough, these strongest moments are revealed in an awkward third act tonal and structural shift to be nothing more than filler. Read full review
67
The PlaylistErik McClanahanJun 29, 2013
The biggest failing of this mostly enjoyable documentary is that it works like a Michael Moore film. It probably won't convince those outside the circle, it will only serve to push them further away. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloJun 26, 2013
How to Make Money Selling Drugs is breezy fun, even when it eventually turns openly cynical. Read full review
63
New York PostFarran Smith NehmeJun 28, 2013
This film is best when arguing that drugs should be treated as a multibillion-dollar commodity business in need of regulation, and not as a moral failing. Read full review
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinDec 28, 2013
Various colourful characters including Freeway Rick Ross, the man who invented crack, and ex-cop Barry Cooper explain the tricks of the trade, but none of it will be news to anyone who's watched "Breaking Bad" or "The Wire." Read full review
60
Time OutSam AdamsJun 26, 2013
The question posed by the title of Matthew Cooke’s documentary seems to have a simple answer: Sell drugs. Lots of them. But this dope dealers’ DIY manifesto isn’t quite the illustrated instruction manual it sardonically promises to be, as Cooke talks to many a former pusher, from legendary kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross to small-timer 50 Cent. Read full review
60
The New York TimesNicolas RapoldJun 25, 2013
There’s a lot to learn from How to Make Money Selling Drugs, but sometimes there’s just a lot. Read full review
25
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJun 26, 2013
While it won't win any Oscars, Matthew Cooke's new documentary How To Make Money Selling Drugs may take the prize for being the shallowest and most glib film of the year. Read full review
More From This Movie

69 Critic Reviews

8.0 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 77 Project Hail Mary
2 75 Send Help
3 73 Hoppers
4 72 The Sheep Detectives
5 68 Crime 101
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL