People I Know
Miramax Films | Release Date: April 25, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
53
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 20 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
8
Negative:
3
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
90
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
The very considerable impact of the picture is mainly the work of two men, the author and the star. Read full review
80
VarietyDavid Rooney
Compelling 24-hour odyssey into the life of a world-weary Gotham publicist, driven by a vivid performance from Al Pacino. Read full review
80
New York Magazine (Vulture)Peter Rainer
Trashy and lurid as this movie is, it’s certainly not boring, and it keeps its star in hog heaven throughout. Read full review
80
EmpireDavid Hughes
Considering the ignominy of its path to British cinemas, it’s hard not to approach the film with caution, but after a few minutes in the company of an unusually low-key but typically world-weary Al Pacino, it begins to win you over, dragging you deeper into the sleazy political underworld it describes. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Pacino's performance in People I Know is the best thing he's done in ages. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
Nasty but compulsively watchable. Read full review
70
The New York TimesStephen Holden
Would like to think of itself as a film on the edge, a contemporary descendant of "Sweet Smell of Success." But as it dawdles along, it fails to find contemporary corollaries to the super-charged language and caffeine-fueled pace of that grimy 1957 masterpiece. Read full review
63
USA TodayMike Clark
It won't be a waste of time to watch these people — on cable, and probably not too far in the future. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
In the midst of material that's dusty and dated, People I Know somehow feels apocalyptic. How is this possible? Easy: When America's liberal conscience is in the sole care of a publicist, you just know the world's going to hell in a handbasket. Read full review
60
Village VoiceJ. Hoberman
Although a marked improvement over Algrant's nightmarishly whimsical debut, "Naked in New York," People I Know is perfumed less by the sweet smell of success than the musty aroma of the Miramax vault. Read full review
60
Film ThreatRich Cline
The only complaint is that the plot ultimately tries to take over the character drama with twists, turns and some rather pointed preachiness. But at least it's fiercely smart about it. And Algrant's final shot is gorgeous. Read full review
58
Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum
As it is, the story collapses like a bad tip to Liz Smith. Still, there's something brash, retro, and even stupidly touching about all the chatty mania, and the way Baitz and Pacino get off on paranoia, conspiracy theories, and the lure of 1960s idealism. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
It was filmed in and around the World Trade Center, and the subsequent cuts, reshoots and sleights of hand designed to obscure that fact prove devastating. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Becomes tiresome. Read full review
40
SalonStephanie Zacharek
The picture has a lax, sleepy vibe: There's never anything taut or electric about it. And so, like Pacino's character, we sleepwalk through it. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
As a thriller, People I Know -- which has languished unreleased since 2001 -- is barely plausible. As a critique of the meshing of power politics between East and West coasts, the movie is more smart-alecky than wise. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Pacino's no-holds-barred performance is either the reason to see this tepid thriller or the reason to avoid it. His evocation of a Sidney Falco-style flack worn to a nub by decades of trying to spin this dirty town is nothing if not bravura. Read full review
30
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
Not a pretty sight, any of it.
30
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
It's not often that you see talented, well-meaning people joined together like cultists in the snare of a group delusion, but that's what makes this film fascinating, the proverbial accident you can't take your eyes off. Read full review
25
PremiereGlenn Kenny
Smushes together “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (the novel, that is), “True Believer,” and “Eyes Wide Shut,” only it does so without being nearly as good as any of the aforementioned. Read full review
More From This Movie

53 Critic Reviews

7.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL