Live Free or Die (2006)

40% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
44% of users liked it
(5,838 ratings)

An aspiring small-town criminal edges in on the family business of an old acquaintance, only to find things quickly spinning out of control when an emotionally unstable cop begins investigating the case. Clueless criminal wannabe John "Rugged" Rudgate (Aaron Stanford) spends most of his time forging… More An aspiring small-town criminal edges in on the family business of an old acquaintance, only to find things quickly spinning out of control when an emotionally unstable cop begins investigating the case. Clueless criminal wannabe John "Rugged" Rudgate (Aaron Stanford) spends most of his time forging rebate coupons and selling speakers on the streets, but upon receiving a peculiar blast from the past he begins to dream of more lucrative criminal endeavors. It seems that John's old friend Jeff Lagrand (Paul Schneider) has arrived back in town to assist his sardonic sister (Zooey Deschanel) in maintaining the storage facility bestowed upon the pair by their recently deceased father. Of course, any self-respecting criminal would see this as an opportunity to make a pretty penny, and despite his small-time background Rugged is now ready to make the leap into the big leagues. Though his attempt to pry his way into the family business at first seems to be going along swimmingly, Rugged soon finds his criminal endeavors thwarted by a particularly sensitive cop (Michael Rapaport) who, despite his emotional fragility, remains determined to crack the case. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 29 min.
Directed By: Andy Robin, Gregg Kavet
Genres: Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 31, 2006 Wide
On DVD: Jul 24, 2007
Studio: ThinkFilm

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Live Free is a comedy of vastly diminished criminal expectations. That's the fun of it, and the frustration, too.
Joe Leydon, Variety
Very much like its hapless lead character, a small-town, small-time hustler who yearns to present himself as a dangerous outlaw, Live Free or Die tries too hard, to little effect.
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media
Small-town indie crime comedy is short on laughs.
Sean Axmaker, MSN.com
... low-key black comedy stars Aaron Stanford as a two-bit blowhard and small-time scammer swimming in the shallow end of the New Hampshire gene pool.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
just isn't very funny, too wrapped up in its wild plot and loser lead character to ever get around to delivering a punch line
Brian Zoromski, IGN Movies
The best aspect of Live Free or Die is its unpredictability. From Rugged pulling a gun out of a kitchen drawer to the sight of his rusty blue van rolling away without anyone inside, you never quite know what's going to happen next.
Frank Lovece, Film Journal International
None of the movie's flaws negate its many remarkable little performances and casually insightful script.
Jette Kernion, Cinematical
A Will Ferrell/Steve Carell-style comedy that lacks the charm associated with those actors' films.
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews
[Live Free or Die] is a mildly entertaining little flick but a slight effort.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
a lightweight film, sort of a less gruesome, slacker take on 2005's "The Ice Harvest" crossed with a common man's "Garden State," that is elevated by a cast that maintains interest when the plot lags.
Gary Goldstein, Reel.com
There are some solid chuckles in the lowbrow crime comedy Live Free or Die but they're not enough to sustain its slight story for a whole 90 minutes.
Brian Orndorf, eFilmCritic.com
The filmmakers have a nice grasp on the visual despair of the piece, and they use it wisely to augment the idiocy of the participants.
Don R. Lewis, Film Threat
It just feels contrived when a good comedy like this should feel clever.
Eric D. Snider, EricDSnider.com
There are many small laughs, two or three big ones, and a lot of wide open space in between where the film ambles along unremarkably.
Kimberley Jones, Austin Chronicle
Live Free or Die -- opens and closes zippily, but in between frequently stalls out, and the wannabe-hoodlum antics of Rugged and LaGrand -- play with diminishing returns.

Read all 15 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Leigh R

A bit of a miss with me. I loved Paul and, of course, Zooey in their roles but the storyline left me a little flat. Needed more with Zooey to punch it up a bit. It was... eh.
♥˩ƳИИ &

Aaron Stanford, Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Juah Friedlander, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Kevin Dunn, Peter Anthony Tambakis, Michael Rapaport DIRECTED BY: Andy Robin & Gregg Kavet Taking its title from the state motto of New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die" is a deadpan… More
Aaron Stanford, Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Juah Friedlander, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Kevin Dunn, Peter Anthony Tambakis, Michael Rapaport DIRECTED BY: Andy Robin & Gregg Kavet Taking its title from the state motto of New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die" is a deadpan comedy about a clueless, aspiring criminal named John "Rugged" Rudgate, who spends his days forging rebate coupons and selling speakers out the back of his van. One day, Rugged runs into an old acquaintance, the dim-witted Jeff Lagrand, who recently returned home to help his cynical sister run the storage facility that they inherited from their father. When Rugged tries to force his way into the Lagrand family business, things go terribly wrong--and the situation gets even more complicated when an emotionally unstable cop begins investigating Well it didn't turn out to be as funny as I had hoped, but it had some good laughs. I found Pual Schneider and Zooey Deschanel to be the only funny two. Schneider's character was just one those off-beat characters that I love. Not so obviously funny. There should have been more Zooey in this movie. Would have been better I think. It was a bit boring at times and kinda silly. But I think it being silly was kind of the writer's intent. But all in all a decent watch.. Maybe..
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "Live Free or Die," John "Rugged" Rudgate(Aaron Stanford) is a legendary petty thief in New Hampshire who specializes in stealing stereo speakers. While making the rounds, he meets an old friend, Jeff Lagrand(Paul Schneider), who although… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "Live Free or Die," John "Rugged" Rudgate(Aaron Stanford) is a legendary petty thief in New Hampshire who specializes in stealing stereo speakers. While making the rounds, he meets an old friend, Jeff Lagrand(Paul Schneider), who although none too bright, inherited a storage facility with his sister, Cheryl(Zooey Deschanel). Rugged in a futile attempt to prove himself a hardened criminal takes credit for the murder of a local politician and spikes the well of a bully with brake fluid...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Live Free or Die" is the kind of movie that gives independent films a bad name, existing solely as an exercise in condescension towards small town life in general, New Hampshire specifically.(For that reason, a former acquaintance would have found this hilarious.) Overall, it is faintly amusing and Zooey Deschanel is the only actor worth watching, but sadly she is not onscreen enough to make a difference.(Which was pretty much the only reason I watched it in the first place...) Maybe if the movie had been less jokey and the script had been more polished, there might have been something here. A competing plotline about the local police is just aimless until it almost dovetails with Rugged's story, but never fully does. [/font]
William G

Goofy small-time criminal farce isn't as funny as it thinks it is.
shane h

A little slow, kinda boring at times but Lagrange keeps you interested with his somewhat dim-witted comedy. Not enough Zooey by any means. I like the message though, sometimes the image or the legend is so much easier to grasp than the truth. If we all lived with the reality and not… More
A little slow, kinda boring at times but Lagrange keeps you interested with his somewhat dim-witted comedy. Not enough Zooey by any means. I like the message though, sometimes the image or the legend is so much easier to grasp than the truth. If we all lived with the reality and not the fantasy this would be a pretty boring existence.