Kids for Cash
| Release Date: February 7, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
75
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
2
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyFeb 27, 2014
[A] harrowing documentary. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesInkoo KangMar 6, 2014
A vital, urgent and infuriating look at the devastating failures of the juvenile court system and the insidious reach of prison privatization. Read full review
90
The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisFeb 27, 2014
Carefully assembled and soberly presented, Robert May’s Kids for Cash takes a lacerating look at America’s juvenile justice system. Read full review
90
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlFeb 25, 2014
The documentary is stellar, despite some vague visual-metaphor stuff involving dioramas in an attic. Bring something you can punch, as you will be furious. Read full review
90
The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckJan 20, 2014
A real-life thriller that rivals the most dramatic fiction in terms of emotional impact. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsFeb 27, 2014
An impressive, often enraging feature-length debut from director Robert May, deals carefully and well with the so-called kids for cash scandal. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaFeb 25, 2014
Kids for Cash is no-nonsense, no-stone-unturned filmmaking. Read full review
83
The A.V. ClubA.A. Dowd Feb 26, 2014
What 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. Read full review
80
NPRTrey GrahamFeb 28, 2014
Robert May, a producer on "The Station Agent" and "The Fog of War," makes his directing debut with a carefully measured, admirably precise account of this sordid business. Read full review
80
VarietyRonnie ScheibJan 20, 2014
The film represents a scathing critique of America’s juvenile justice system, the privatization of penal institutions, and the whole notion of “zero tolerance.” Read full review
75
Washington PostStephanie MerryMar 6, 2014
Kids for Cash proves that the abuse was both more nuanced and more tragic than the public understood. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliFeb 7, 2014
Kids for Cash may not be inherently cinematic (a lot of the footage, after all, first appeared on television) but it is compelling. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David EdelsteinFeb 27, 2014
I’d liked him to have asked the judge specifically about the MySpace girl, whose case led to his comeuppance. But it’s a huge story, and Kids for Cash provides a measure of justice. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesBill StametsFeb 27, 2014
May errs in styling this human interest saga. Read full review
60
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanFeb 27, 2014
It’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. Read full review
60
Time OutKeith UhlichFeb 25, 2014
May’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. Read full review
30
The DissolveAndrew LapinFeb 25, 2014
A 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. Read full review
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