Startup.com (2001)

92% of critics liked it
(93 reviews)
66% of users liked it
(2,130 ratings)

Two men discover the perils of going into business with their friends as they observe the rise and fall of their Internet firm over the course of its first (and only) year in this documentary produced by D.A. Pennebaker. Tom Herman and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman first met while they were in high school;… More Two men discover the perils of going into business with their friends as they observe the rise and fall of their Internet firm over the course of its first (and only) year in this documentary produced by D.A. Pennebaker. Tom Herman and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman first met while they were in high school; they studied business together in college, and they remained close friends after graduating, often bandying about the idea of working together. In May of 1999, they made their dream a reality and opened Govworks.com, a Web-based firm devoted to helping people deal more efficiently with local governments (it began as a notion to pay parking tickets online). Govworks.com soon exploded, going from a one-room office with a tiny staff to over 200 employees and a bankroll of $50 million. However, like many other Internet firms of their day, Govworks.com was not destined to succeed, and by January of 2001, the company had let nearly all its employees go, and was eventually swallowed up by a larger firm, with Herman and Isaza Tuzman having little to show for their efforts. Just as significantly, after their initial burst of enthusiasm, Herman and Isaza Tuzman found themselves locking horns, as they displayed their naivete about the nuts and bolts of making an Internet start-up work; Herman's gentle nature clashed with Isaza Tuzman's all-business approach, and eventually Herman was forced out of the company he had helped to found by his longtime friend. Directors Jehane Noujaim and Chris Hegedus shot Startup.com using digital video equipment, and to keep the film as timely as possible, screened a digital copy of the film, which went through its final edit only days before its premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Chris Hegedus, Jehane Noujaim
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: May 11, 2001 Limited
On DVD: Sep 18, 2001
Studio: Artisan Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Too short of detail to really serve as an object lesson to those who follow in their footsteps.
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
The pain and puzzlement of its principals as things inexorably fall apart is palpable and saddening.
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
This movie explains why friends should never go into business together. It's not exactly a new insight, but Tuzman and Herman are so vivid they make it seem revelatory.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Talk about your fabulous story arcs.
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
Astute and entertaining.
Susan Stark, Detroit News
Startup.com humanizes the dot-com goldrush that in the last few years has left a handful of millionaires and hundreds of go-for-broke paupers in its wake.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Documentary best for teens interested in business.
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
A compelling and important document of the 'Net's boom and (still-continuing) bust period.
Cole Smithey, Daily Radar
...an impromptu lesson in power, duty, and betrayal that goes well beyond traditional limitations of celluloid documentaries.
Amber Wilkinson, Eye for Film
This is a very well crafted fly-on-the-wall style documentary.
Harry Guerin, RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)
A fascinating, funny and cautionary look at how a world of group hugs and high fives transforms into night sweats and icy stares.
Brian Mckay, eFilmCritic.com
A gripping study of human nature and a prime example of why business and friendship don't mix
Joshua Tanzer, Offoffoff
Let's take advantage of this chance to peer into these paper millionaires' lives and think about what kind of human beings they are and where they went wrong.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Ken S

As someone who grew up in Silicon Valley...this movie hits real close to home.
Christopher B

In terms of it's historical value, this documentary is very good in documenting the whole startup boom, unfortunately I just couldn't keep that interested in the subjects they had chosen.
Wu C

Good doc.