The Real Dirt on Farmer John
CAVU Releasing | Release Date: January 20, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
78
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 11 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
0
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
We've seen documentaries with more daring themes, greater drama, sharper craft and timelier subject matter. But few have been as affecting as The Real Dirt on Farmer John. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
This is a loving, moving, inspiring, quirky documentary that was made while the lives it records were being lived. Read full review
80
Village VoiceJulia Wallace
At times, the film plays like an extended infomercial for John's new company, Angelic Organics, but the agrarian fantasy is so compelling here that the revitalization of the American family farm begins to seem not just possible, but probable. Read full review
80
The New York TimesJeannette Catsoulis
Offers one man's extraordinary life as a gateway to a larger history of tragedy and transition. It's an unflinching account of what farming takes -- and, more important, what it gives back. Read full review
80
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
It’s fascinating that this portrait of the rise, fall and rise of Midwestern organic farmer John Peterson can be read in so many different ways, only some of which appear intentionally in Taggart Siegel’s sympathetic documentary about his friend and fellow artist. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
Though its title suggests an exposé on Dodger Dogs, the movie is the moving, inspirational account of John Peterson's discovery of an almost divine calling in the land beneath his feet. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
In many ways, it's a painful story, but it's also full of curious triumphs and outlandish redemptions. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleWalter Addiego
A loose, amiable documentary tracking several decades in the life of this most unusual farmer. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
Despite the movie's intimate nature, Siegel deftly broadens his view to observe the culture and conditions of contemporary American farming. Don't be surprised if, by the finish, you wind up fantasizing about your own rural homestead. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
A beguiling combination of agrarian ode and “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test,” deepened by Peterson's square sincerity as he struggles to find himself in relation to his family's land. Read full review
70
VarietyScott Foundas
Examines 50-odd years in the life of its eponymous subject -- a most compelling character -- and in doing so literally provides the viewer with food for thought. Read full review
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