Monrovia, Indiana

In trying to garner a better understanding of middle America rural values and lifestyle, I was struck by the stultifying homogeneous dullness and anti-progress attitudes of their residents. There was only one planner who was forward thinking and he was met with derision and road blocks. No wonder the young people are moving away. The cinematography was nice though.

Frederick Wiseman is an acquired taste that I can take or leave. His NYC Library film was troll-worthy. This is a bit more compact at well over two hours, but it's much more interesting than his last film. Is this vintage Wiseman, no, but is it neat if it's your kind of documentary film? Sure! Final Score: 6.2/10

This was the most boring film I've ever seen. I imagine this film was created for those who find meaning in watching paint dry.

Why was the funeral scene so long? It took all the oxygen out of the movie.

Brilliantly filmed.

I believe the documentary offers a very genuine and matter of fact snapshot of a town not much different from many towns this size in the Midwest. What is remarkable is the apparent concerted effort to keep things the same. After 175 years of virtually nothing changing this town has been forced to accept what happens when an apathetic public isnt engaged in decision making. The political climate isn't as one sided here as people might think. The town generally has been guided by common sense and generous long time sons and daughters of homesteaders. I know..... I grew up there and still have many relatives as well as friends.

I walked out after an hour. There was no thread to the movie, I would have gained more insight from a slideshow.

I'm a 42 year old documentary lover so rest assured that I have the attention span to handle a slower film. This one pushed my patience. It is technically flawless. Some scenes were quite clever, particularly those of the town council. They tell an amusing story. However, almost all other scenes felt disjointed, and many felt unnecessary. The one at the veterinarian's office was bizarrely out of place, has no relevance to the location, and it was off-putting. I've never been to a doc where people got up and left. At this one, they did-at various points. I assume, due to boredom. I appreciate that every filmmaker has their own style but I genuinely don't see this as worthy of 89% fresh. It's a critic's darling.