King Corn (2007)

96% of critics liked it
(24 reviews)
78% of users liked it
(2,920 ratings)

Two friends with one year to spare and a deep curiosity about the American food distribution system set out to grow an acre of corn and see what becomes of their crop in director Aaron Woolf's agriculturally themed documentary. Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis are best friends from college who have decided… More Two friends with one year to spare and a deep curiosity about the American food distribution system set out to grow an acre of corn and see what becomes of their crop in director Aaron Woolf's agriculturally themed documentary. Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis are best friends from college who have decided to move from the East Coast to the Midwest in hopes of getting a better idea where the food they consume on a daily basis actually comes from. Corn is America's most productive and subsidized grain. Upon relocating to Iowa, the pair seeks out the assistance of friends and neighbors in procuring the land, seeds, fertilizers, and herbicides needed to grow a one-acre bumper crop of this highly versatile commodity. As their maize is harvested and the sometimes-troubling realities of modern faming begin to emerge, the pair sets off on a mission to track the progress of their product and find out just how it is used to create a variety of different food products. What emerges is an informative and at times disturbing account of both the food Americans so readily consume without so much as a second thought, and the alarming state of the contemporary agricultural industry. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Aaron Woolf
Written By: Ian Cheney, Curtis Ellis
Genres: Documentary, Musical & Performing Arts, Special Interest

In Theaters: Oct 12, 2007 Limited
On DVD: Apr 29, 2008
Studio: Balcony Releasing

Critic Reviews

Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
A breezy diary from a pair of first-time farmers, as well as a wry rebuke to a nation devoted to eating cheaply but not necessarily well, King Corn makes its points without much finger-wagging.
Walter V. Addiego, San Francisco Chronicle
While there's no startling news here -- most people know that high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a staple in food processing and isn't particularly good for us -- this documentary neatly, and often humorously, summarizes a very unhealthy situation.
, Los Angeles Times
King Corn is entertaining enough, but it's also a moral, crucially skeptical road trip down the food chain.
Dennis Harvey, Variety
Deftly balances humor and insight.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
It should be required viewing before going into a supermarket, McDonald's or your very own refrigerator.
Janice Page, Boston Globe
King Corn insists that we recognize the Corn Belt's beauty and intelligence along with its somewhat self-induced plight.
Kelly Vance, East Bay Express
We learn a few things from the two daffy guys about food, nutrition, agribusiness, and government support of the latter.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Someone pass the Fritos!
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
There is an interesting story here. It's just that the movie doesn't tell it very well.
Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Engaging and illuminating.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
Simultaneously nostalgic and sinister, King Corn mixes full-blown Americana with fast-food follies in the Iowa heartland.
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
The film always teaches and entertains in equal, ample measure. It's a treat -- and it's good for you.
Andrea Chase, Killer Movie Reviews
entertaining and even a little mischievous, it finds perverse outcomes, but no villains. It is informative, without creating partisanship, respectful without being patronizing, entertaining without being dumbed-down
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
King Corn becomes an indispensable supplement to Spurlock's Super Size Me.
Brian Orndorf, eFilmCritic.com
Absorbing...it's a lot of science and perspective to cover, yet Woolf manages to keep King Corn focused and sedate.

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Featured Audience Ratings

Dan S

An occasionally interesting look at the food industry concerning two guys from Boston journeying to Iowa to plant a crop of corn. What's most impressive about the film is it's ability to derive answers without going Michael Moore finger-pointing style. It does drag from time… More
An occasionally interesting look at the food industry concerning two guys from Boston journeying to Iowa to plant a crop of corn. What's most impressive about the film is it's ability to derive answers without going Michael Moore finger-pointing style. It does drag from time to time and it lacks a firm, solid resolution, but certainly not a bad documentary at all, but definitely one that could've been more interesting if it had tried to be.
Curtis L

Any documentary that has stop and go animation with fischer price and corn kernals is a good one in my book. I guess you hear 'high fructose corn syrup' in everything you eat, but I never really thought about what it was. You eat pretty much nothing but corn if you eat… More
Any documentary that has stop and go animation with fischer price and corn kernals is a good one in my book. I guess you hear 'high fructose corn syrup' in everything you eat, but I never really thought about what it was. You eat pretty much nothing but corn if you eat what most people do. Makes you want to eat hippie food instead, if only it cost less. Yikes.
James A

The subject is interesting but the execution is lacking.
Ken S

It's a documentary on corn...how thrilling
Bill C

I was expecting guerilla journalism, but this delivers a more from the heart and then the head project. I was born in Iowa and have more than a passing understanding of agribusiness and I was still enlightened by some of their information. The directors main characters are two young… More
I was expecting guerilla journalism, but this delivers a more from the heart and then the head project. I was born in Iowa and have more than a passing understanding of agribusiness and I was still enlightened by some of their information. The directors main characters are two young men from Boston who can both trace their linage to the same town in Iowa. They move there and plant an acre of Corn and they want to trace where there corn ends up. They reach dead-end trying to get a story on corn syrup, so they try and make their own. They have a segment showing the unbelievably wide spread usage of corn syrup. They do an OK job showing the effect of corn fed beef and sick cows. I was surprised at the decrease in nutritional value of Beef the more it is forced to eat grain. The finally segment traces farm subsidies and the effects it has on the modern farmer. The interviews with the "baddies" is handled well, they give them a chance for rebuttal ie "If you want free range cattle we will sell that to you also, but at a higher cost." Enjoyable film would be very enlightening to people who have little experience with agribusiness.