Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price
Brave New Films | Release Date: November 4, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
71
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 18 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
4
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Greenwald floats the vital issue of whether Wal-Mart should be restrained by antimonopoly regulations, but his real question is cultural: Even with its rock-bottom prices, is Wal-Mart in the best interest of American consumers? Read full review
90
SalonAndrew O'Hehir
The cut-rate colossus didn't just ride the tide that sucked industrial jobs out of our towns and cities and spat out low-wage service-sector jobs in the sprawling exurbs -- it helped create it, and at the very least drastically accelerated it. Read full review
88
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
Important, awareness-building documentary. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeTy Burr
The movie's masterstroke is to avoid interviewing the usual anti-globalist suspects and let solid, hard-working middle Americans speak. Read full review
80
The New York TimesAnita Gates
Makes its case with breathtaking force. Read full review
80
The New YorkerDavid Denby
For all its missteps, the movie powerfully suggests that Wal-Mart is capable of demoralizing a community so thoroughly that it doesn't have the spirit to carry on its life outside the big box. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Left-wing flame-thrower Robert Greenwald (Uncovered: The War on Iraq) gets after the global giant anyway, and he may have you thinking twice before entering another Wal-Mart parking lot. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChroniclePeter Hartlaub
Compelling and frequently entertaining. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
The list of ills is endless, well-researched, and cross-referenced repeatedly for emphasis. That makes the film a bit of a slog at times, but the fury and grief of the folks interviewed propel it forward. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
An engrossing, muckraking documentary about the retail giant that's been called "the world's largest, richest and probably meanest corporation." But if you're expecting an angry diatribe, you're going to be disappointed. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverMelissa Levine
An affecting piece of work. Read full review
67
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
While the film is obviously meant as a call to arms, the very single-mindedness of the approach could work against it. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
It's not a question of agreeing or disagreeing with this film's point of view to say that it isn't as often convincing as it is convinced. Read full review
60
Village VoiceJames Crawford
Viewers may not be surprised to learn of Wal-Mart's horrific track record, but they can't deny Greenwald's airtight advocacy. Read full review
60
VarietyJohn Anderson
For all the film's provocations and documentation, however, Greenwald never seems get to the heart of the matter: that it is the consumer who makes Wal-Mart powerful. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterFrank Scheck
Lacks the cinematic panache to elevate it above the level of agitprop. But its all too relevant dissection of its subject is well worth paying attention to. Read full review
60
EmpireDavid Hughes
With more thorough editing this could have been on a par with Greenwald's previous films. His source material is gripping, but not life-changing. Read full review
25
New York PostLou Lumenick
Wal-Mart's home office in Bentonville, Ark., can rest easy: Greenwald, as usual, is hysterically preaching to the choir. Read full review
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