All In: The Poker Movie (2011)

Critic Reviews

• Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

  [An] energetic, if overly worshipful documentary.

• Kyle Smith, New York Post

  Amusing and informative (and hyperbolic) as it is, "All In: The Poker Movie" is a documentary whose intended audience is unclear.

• Neil Genzlinger, New York Times

  So padded with cheerleading that it doesn't have time for a serious exploration of poker's place in the broader culture or the consequences of its rapid rise and global reach.

• John Anderson, Variety

  Douglas Tirola's pic seems a bit late for the poker craze, and at any rate will be preaching largely to the converted.

• Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News

  "All In" lays down some interesting hands but sometimes can't raise the stakes, though "Rounders" star Matt Damon lends a bit of celeb flash.

• Michelle Orange, Village Voice

  Instead of sustaining a significant cultural story, at almost two hours, All In feels like an energetic but overlong highlight reel.

• Frank Lovece, Film Journal International

  Engrossing documentary on the multi-billion-dollar poker industry gets a little too rhapsodic about the game as a metaphor for life and slips into advocacy for online poker, all while offering a revealing, wide-ranging look at a subculture.

• Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York

  Frankly, it could have used a touch more disrepute.

• Chuck Bowen, Slant Magazine

  The film has a shambling charm that actively disputes an unspoken notion that a documentary must be well-structured in order to effectively land its points.

• Susan Granger, SSG Syndicate

  Celebrating the worldwide poker renaissance, it's intriguing in the way it delineates another way to chase the American Dream.

• Brent Simon, Shared Darkness

  An achingly comprehensive poker-praising documentary that unfolds in rather scattershot form, yet still remains more or less entertaining enough to engage non-players.

Read all 11 critic reviews