Up for Grabs
Laemmle/Zeller Films | Release Date: May 6, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
69
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
The Hollywood ReporterSheri Linden
Captures the excitement of the game as well as the intimate drama -- and comedy -- of the human conflict. Read full review
80
VarietyJoe Leydon
A sly curve ball of a documentary best described as a sports-themed "Rashomon" with an O. Henry twist. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
A winning combination of humor and crafty filmmaking. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
It's a terrific story -- part mystery, part farce, part legal nail-biter -- with a last-minute reversal so bitterly ironic it could have been scripted by Billy Wilder. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
At times hilarious and occasionally very sad, it's a cautionary tale about the lure of instant fame. Read full review
75
New York PostLou Lumenick
A wry, "Rashomon"-like tale. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Michael Wranovics' documentary replays this sorry chapter in all-American greed in glorious detail. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
I say the movie is infuriatingly unfair to Hayashi; others will cry foul for Popov. See it with an umpire. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A rarity for documentaries. The movie is a full-tilt farce, and were it not completely true, it'd be a piercing satire that Preston Sturges might have polished into a resonant screwball. Read full review
70
Village VoiceJoshua Land
Wranovics's entertaining documentary feels appropriately detached. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyJon Strickland
But by film's end, no one is looking good. If Wranovics is somewhat too noncommittal in his presentation, he still shows a great eye for detail. Read full review
60
The New York TimesAnita Gates
Mr. Wranovics sometimes goes too far in setting up cute situations for filming witnesses' comments. Read full review
50
TV Guide MagazineAngel Cohn
But while the material is interesting, it's not substantial enough to sustain a feature-length treatment. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
As another exposé of stubbornness, petty opportunism, and greed, there's some residual value in the story of two unappealing characters. Read full review
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