The Take (2004)

90% of critics liked it
(30 reviews)
83% of users liked it
(1,289 ratings)

Carlos Menem was the president of Argentina between 1989 and 1999; under his administration, many of the nation's public works were privatized, and the nation's peso was linked to the value of the American dollar. When the nation quickly fell into debt, the International Monetary Fund stepped in to… More Carlos Menem was the president of Argentina between 1989 and 1999; under his administration, many of the nation's public works were privatized, and the nation's peso was linked to the value of the American dollar. When the nation quickly fell into debt, the International Monetary Fund stepped in to give the nation massive loans -- a tactic that only sent Argentina deeper into the hole, as the government struggled to pay the interest on their notes. The results were little short of disastrous, sending the economy into a tailspin and forcing much of Argentina's industry to shut down. In 2001, following the example of other out-of-work laborers, the former employees of an Argentinean auto plant walked into the abandoned factory where they once worked and announced their plans to take it over and run the business as a cooperative. The auto company's owners soon stepped in to claim what they said was theirs, while labor advocates argued that since the company had been floated by IMF-backed loans before it closed, the true ownership of the shop was an open question. The Take is a documentary by activist filmmakers Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein that chronicles the standoff between the displaced laborers occupying their former workplace and the private and public forces who united against them. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: Avi Lewis, Avi Klein
Written By: Naomi Klein
Genres: Documentary, Drama, Special Interest

In Theaters: Nov 4, 2004 Limited
On DVD: Feb 21, 2006
Studio: Celluloid Dreams

Critic Reviews

Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
The Take plays out like a Frank Capra movie with the 'little people' taking on corrupt and indifferent officials. In the process the film strikes a strong blow for the dignity of labor and introduces an array of brave individuals.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A success story? Yes, according to the Movement of Recovered Companies. No, according to the owners and the courts.
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle
A balance of fact and fury.
Ty Burr, Boston Globe
Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein's film is antiglobalist advocacy journalism of the most muddled and romanticized stripe, almost dangerously naive in its simplistic presentation of complex political events.
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News
Mr. Lewis and Ms. Klein found themselves a subject and a setting rife with drama, and they showed a reporter's dogged verve in entering the thick of the action.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
It's not the most original documentary ever filmed, shot in routine style. But it's the content that counts. We see very real people in crisis.
Maria Garcia, Film Journal International
A paean to the resiliency of the human spirit.
, Time Out
Neither slick nor sophisticated, but inspiring nonetheless.
, Empire Magazine
Politically powerful, but filmically flawed.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Anyone sympathetic with the political viewpoint presented here will find much to admire in the energy and optimism of both the filmmakers and their subjects
Matthew Leyland, BBC
Rousing as it is, you can't help feeling at times that the filmmakers have reduced a complex situation to a black and white.
Tim Cogshell, Boxoffice Magazine
An extraordinarily stirring film that should resonate even with the fairly internationally isolated American audience.
Ernest Hardy, L.A. Weekly
This film puts a pained human face on the cost of the corporate status quo.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Sua parcialidade óbvia compromete um pouco a credibilidade, mas, no geral, o filme traça um painel revoltante sobre os efeitos nocivos da política econômica imposta pelo FMI.
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
Makes one wish Argentina finds a way out of its habitual vulnerability to petty tyrants whose principal vision seems to be self empowerment through corrupt favoritism.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
A deeply flawed work about a worthy subject.
Marc Mohan, Oregonian
A well-made, informative look at events during and after the 2001 collapse of the Argentine economy.

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Daniel H

Brilliant, if naturally one-sided. Though, deciding to come down hard on one side of the political fence when the other side is utterly monstrous, is something to be applauded. Especially considering America's utter neglect toward the hemisphere in which we honed our brutalizing… More
Brilliant, if naturally one-sided. Though, deciding to come down hard on one side of the political fence when the other side is utterly monstrous, is something to be applauded. Especially considering America's utter neglect toward the hemisphere in which we honed our brutalizing tactics... this documentary brings to light an event that is nowhere close to the spotlight of the international media, yet utterly essential to understanding how we might rise above our current problems.

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The Take (2004)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

Daniel H

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