First off I have to state over 40% of the ratings were given 1 star. This tells me tons of small minded conservatives, who most likely didn't even watch the film, are desperately trying to paint the film as propaganda. This documentary is far from it. As AOC states "Everyday Americans should be represented by everyday Americans"
This documentary is about how much harder it is for women, especially women of color, to succeed in a straight white mans world in the government. it is about women who want to fight for what is right, not how big business can line their pockets. no matter what your political view is i think you will find this doc very eye opening. a definite must watch
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martymillman1 May 2019
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I've never been a big fan of AOC, but this is an amazing window in the process faced by citizens trying to disrupt the establishment bias of congressional and senate elections. Brilliant documentary style and very down to earth compared to similar attempts. Doesn't focus heavily on the politics involved, significantly more on the process.
No matter who you vote for, this is a great watch. -
sfdphd14 April 2019This excellent documentary showcases four women running for office in the 2018 election. We are now all familiar with AOC but at the time of shooting the film she was just a bartender from the Bronx. Fascinating to see her developing a political style and joining a movement to change the system. All the women in the film are amazing and make great representatives. We need them and others to make a difference!
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ericplay23 April 2019The difficulty with this content is that people will be divided emotionally because of their politics however if you look at the how the pure content was created the inspirational advance thinking and camera techniques combined with the producing approach to filming that tries to incorporate a true understanding of the characters in this documentary you will see this is worthy of a high review and not just partisan political comments
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Some of the reviews are saying that this is "downright propaganda" and filled with "radical leftist" etc. etc., and I, quite honestly, didn't see any of that. There were no propaganda at all in this documentary, no one said "This is what you should believe.", all they said was "This is what I believe.". That's why AOC won, she said what she believed in, what she wanted for the country, for the state, and what she could deliver. She also went house to house, street to street, to talk with people about it.
The documentary also featured other candidates, who unfortunately lost the election. They shared extremely personal stories that a lot of people can relate to, and I would lie if I said that I didn't tear up.
Hopefully there'll be a sequel to this documentary, because I really want an inside look in AOC's life, as well as the other newcomers, as they begin their new political careers in congress. One can only hope. -
Kannonfodder1 May 2019In politics hindsight is 20/20. This documentary naturally cannot escape this fact but it matters little, for here we are given the role of the fly on the wall, as we follow a class of challengers to the democratic machine. This entails a focus on the emotions of this journey, from the beginning where no one cares to the end whether in defeat or victory.
A focus on the tactics of organizing a movement, or any logic on the asymmetry of struggle against these powerful incumbents, gets overshadowed by that of the personality of the characters involved. This makes for an entertaining emotional drama but one is left hungry for more details on how a campaign is won. Or lost as is the case for many of the candidates.
Still this is a decent documentary worth your time if you're interested in the zeitgeist of our moment in time, but I doubt it will have staying power. It spends too much time talking to the wishes of the democratic underdog, and not enough on the work required to win. The most interesting exception to this is when Ocasio-Cortez goes through the reasoning behind hers and her opponents election flyers. This is when we get to see the intelligence behind the charisma. More of that please!
As for those who give this one or ten stars the less said the better. -
im-davis5141 May 2019Objectively, this is a well-paced documentary that follows four novice women candidates who were trying to unseat lobbyist-backed incumbent Democrats from their positions in the House or Senate. It is interesting from beginning to end. Watch it and make up your own minds. Ignore the trolls.
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Disaffection with the political establishment is a major issue throughout all western democracies. Around ten years ago disgruntled members of The Republican party came together to form "the tea party". Here you get a chance to see the reaction of base membership within the Democratic party, when grass-roots activists put in action a programme to support more everyday candidates to represent their party in 2018 election. Here you follow four of the 528 female candidates, but not in the campaign Vs the republicans, but standing against encumbant Democratic candidates. Each of the four could be superficially be put down to cover a stereotypical view of the area they represent, but what comes through is their passion and belief in key issues that need to be addressed that are impacting their community and the country as a whole. They are all fully aware of the bigger political picture but for them they are driven to improve life of those around them, that has been forgotten by those in power - "Americans are not asking for a lot, they are just asking for politicians to help them get by". My only quibble with the production is that so much time is spent concentrating on one candidate, you do feel there is a missed opportunity in broadening the understanding of the issues affecting the others.
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ClaraButler1 May 2019Such an inspirational film. Hits all the narrative an emotional beats and gives us such as good backstory into the lives of women running for congress in 2018. Annoyed that many of the reviews so far seem to be composed by explicit anti-AOC types, rather than focusing on who the subject is about focus on the quality of the film you are watching!!!
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lauradaveyemail23 June 2019Cortez's story is powerful and captivating enough that the other four stories were too much and made me lose interest. I hope someone does a documentary on her Journey to office.
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Scrolling through the review section, I've noticed people who rate 1 star on this amazing inspirational documentary are those who see things with three letters of AOC and call it a garbage. For those of you who aren't like that, you should go ahead and watch this. This is very inspirational for anyone who is trying to go against the impossibles. This is inspirational for women who have gave up their way because of gender inequality. As a Japanese, I wish this is happening to us too.
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Bonnell711 February 2020Act 1 - 6.7
Act 2 - 7.8
Act 3 - 7.9
Very strong film that shows the power of believing in yourself and setting a goal and using passion and compassion to achieve it
Great message about our political system and how it should be working for the most vulnerable people in our country, not the most wealthy
Great incite into how a campaign and get started and how it can grow with hard work
A very good film that I would recommend to most
Show AOC as a bartender living her life before she becomes a member of Congress
Grass roots groups looking for outside candidates to run for Congress, interesting looking to change things up for the normal person, how AOC started running
See AOC going door to door trying to establish herself
See a woman from WV running, doesn't have the charisma of AOC or as articulate but cares about her town more than the industry politicians polluting and poisoning people
Crazy how AOC skyrocketed into the scene from nothing to winning against an established positions
See another woman running in MO, a nurse who also wants change, Ferguson impacted her
See another woman running in NV with grassroots campaign, another person fighting for what she believes in, gave up a comfortable life to run
Almost every senator and congressman is funded by corporations, these candidates aren't and I respect that completely, very powerful and makes me hopeful for change
AOC is the heavy focus of the film, learn about her past and how she was raised, emotional underdog story
See how Democrat strategy keeps losing
AOC using social media to her advantage and grow her brand
Media knocks her down saying Crowley will easily win but she isn't stopping as she continues to grow and grans his attention
See a heartbreaking story about how one of the candidates lost her daughter because of healthcare problem, doctors refused to save her and she died because of it, disgusting, see why healthcare for all is so important
Insurance companies ruining peoples lives
All these women are a voice for the most vulnerable people and that is who the government should be working for
The three other nominees fail but AOC succeeds giving power to the grass roots movement
Amazing that AOC took down one of the most well established Democrats in her first campaign
Shocked when she sees herself winning and even more when she wins, powerful that you can set a goal and achieve it with passion and compassion
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Whoopz3 February 2021Let's be honest - this documentary was mostly about AOC. It was very touching to see the other candidates and their commitment. I would've loved to see their reactions when AOC won.
If there's something AOC understands it's how to great a good campaign, and I believe that's why she won. I'm not American, nor do I really care for the political system, but you can tell she has a passion for change. -
jcrook02323 October 2020As stated above, I wrote a review on this documentary when it first came out. I think it had 200/450 thumbs up ("helpful") from IMDb community. BUT looks like my review just vanished... I guess even IMDb has censored thoughts that don't align with their political agenda. Wild.
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The film is already winning awards around the country, including the Festival Favorite award at the Sundance film festival, and every professional review seems to be praising the film and the people in it....however...even though politics should be avoided in film reviews.. it's impossible to do here because that's basically what the film is about and it's used constantly by reviewers who give the film low ratings.
This isn't a fictional story, it's a documentary about women who worked and fought hard from the bottom up and became a big part of the political system and as women, for the first time in a very long time. Ocasio Cortez, who went from a bartender to the biggest voice and most outspoken person in Congress, heard in the media almost every day. Cori Bush, an African American woman from Missouri near where unarmed teen Michael Brown was killed by police officers in 2014. Paula Swearengin, a West Virginia woman whose community has been destroyed by fracking. Amy Vilela, a woman who went from being a single mother on food stamps to having a position whose core issue is healthcare. (Her daughter died after being refused treatment by her insurance.) These aren't political hacks, they're people who have personally experienced what's wrong in the country.
And...they're now in the House, the branch of government that has oversight of the executive branch and the powers to do investigations to keep a president from acquiring too much power....that the founding fathers intended for them.. it's their job. For a few decades, that power has all been in the hands of Republicans.
The First Thing You'll Notice Here.... is the right wing and Republicans coming out in droves to give this movie a low rating right off the bat...the very first day and in the very first hours that the film is available to the public. (I doubt they even watched it) And...if you'll notice, their reviews are filled with a lot of name calling and irrational unsupported opinions of what Alexandria Ocasio Cortez stands for and not much, if anything, about the movie. They're just trying to get you to not watch it.
Here's the thing, nothing she or others say in the film or their agendas can be proven wrong or that would have already been done. The agendas are about things we once had.
The reason Cortez's policies seem radical and far left is because she and the Democrats in Washington have had no voice or power in congress for a long long time and now they finally do. What's changed in the country during that long time is losing things we once had as a country and Cortez is merely explaining that and trying to bring back to the people in the country the things we all had from the nineteen forties to the nineteen eighties, a time when America was number one in the world in everything, 4 decades until Republicans started taking them away one small step at a time. It was like farmers not noticing their corn growing until one day it's over their heads.
So....bringing them back all at once seems extreme to those who forgot or are too young to remember that we used to have these things ...things she's trying to give back to us that every other developed country has and we now don't. We are not number one in the world like we used to be except in some very negative aspects. In every study, poll, etc. we've fallen further and further behind because we lost all the things, programs for the people, that used to make America the envy of the world. -
The film tells a clear, accurate account of four outsiders recruited to run for Congress in 2018. The editors devoted understandable emphasis to Ocasio-Cortez, who not only won but has made her mark on Washington in short order. I'm disappointed that people who disagree with her political ideas think a good way to express that is by giving the film poor ratings, but after I read a few of those reviews, it crystallized my desire to watch it, so thank you, trolls!
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The makers of Knock Down the House set out to make a film about a bunch of women without money or political connections determined to take back the legislature from corporate politicians and moneyed interests. It's a worthwhile subject, but when the election was over they found that one of their subjects, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
At that point the filmmakers had a choice; focus equally on a series of interesting women dealing with unique challenges, or spend most of the time on a candidate who seems as though someone from central casting was asked to send up the female equivalent of JFK, FDR, and Jimmy Stewart.
Unsurprisingly, this is very much AOC's movie, a decision dictated both by her charisma and the results of the election. But while I don't say this was the wrong decision, it does give the movie an unbalanced feel, never quite about AOC but never fully about a movement either.
The movie is very much agitprop, and while I fully support its goals and views, at times I felt the film was a little too in love with its own narrative; for example, the portrayal of Joe Crowley as almost impossibly tone deaf and arrogant feels exaggerated, although I admit I don't know a thing about him and maybe his campaign really was a series of absurd missteps.
Anyway, I wouldn't say this was a *great* documentary, but it's certainly a good one and well worth watching. -
firepowerphotography11 May 2019I have been excited to watch this and with the release, it has been wonderful to start my day with. An inspirational way to start my day!
It saddens me that so few people are giving it a chance and would rather politically bash it through their bias. It was released at midnight and it's currently 5:08am. Did everyone really start their day wanting to be so negative because of a disagreement. The movie is about women, not politics for God's sake. -
jake_sharpe17 May 2019The literal description of this film is about following four determined women challenge big money politics. All the 1 stars must be confused because that's definitely what happened throughout the documentary I just watched. Very inspirational and nice to see every day people making ground in American politicals.
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matthewssilverhammer9 August 2019Most of what makes this documentary good is that they just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Nonetheless, it's a stirring and moving example of the American dream, a dream that has become so much harder to realize because of the hierarchies and systems in place to stop it.
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ana_gc1 May 2019DONT LET ALL HATEFUL COMMENTS STOP YOU ON SEEING THIS AMAZING FILM! Cowards will make you play with your mind but you got the ultimate choice on your hands! This film is full of truth, raw and very scary to a lot of people cause shows the reality of how disgusting American politics are. And how to ordinary people are making extraordinary things with educating theirselves and getting out and change the game for us, the people. Not big corporations. Not relying on pigs that say that represent us but when it comes to voting to our favor. They turn their backs to us. People that make millions per cycle and you just see them just few weeks on Election Day. And you know what we put them there cause we are lazy not to educate ourselves and support the real challengers like this 4 amazing women or so many others on our states! It's time to open our eyes and whatever you decide choose with the conviction that this is United States of America and every count votes. We can make America a better place if we decide to do it!
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jordyntsmith16 August 2020I really enjoyed watching this behind the scenes look at AOC and other challengers for spots in the United States Congress. The film is straightforward and engaging. While it does not necessarily push the political envelope, it scratches a certain itch one may feel for a light political film.
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mishguna2 May 2019Every moment of this film is gripping. You fall in love with the four courageous woman who have gave their all to better their communities. The stories are heartbreaking, particularly the journey that brought Amy Vilela into the political process. It is important to recognise the hard work and sacrifice required for change and inspiring to see that the insurmountable can be overcome.
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labolts19 May 2019Enjoyed the journey and storyline. Full of emotion and inspiration.
My only gripe is that it needed to include some graphics or explanation on how the system works, especially for non-US residents. It might have better explained the gains and losses for each campaign. -
truemythmedia3 August 2019The largest issue for the film, and as a documentary filmmaker myself I am quite sympathetic, is that there is little footage of anything actually happening and the film has even less of a plot than even the average documentary. As a result, the majority of the film is a typical talking heads documentary with interviews covered by b-roll and a few excursions where they obviously set up a field trip day on which they would run around town with a candidate. I suspect that Occasion-Cortez's campaign was the most accessible since there is considerably more footage of her campaign than the others. The problems with not having more complete coverage are common to documentaries and one of the things that makes them particularly difficult to make and make well.
As a result of this lack of coverage it seems that the crew never blends into the background to the extent that the candidates no longer are so conscious of the camera. As a result you don't really get to see the person behind the candidate, behind the public persona they wear for the cameras and the crowds.
This a big problem, especially for a film about political candidates. Audiences that are already dubious of politicians and the games they play. It makes the entire films seem somewhat like a propaganda exercise.
Another great challenge for a documentary is to present a narrative arc. Real life doesn't arc in the way that stories do. It's one of the things that makes stories appealing but also inherently false feeling. A good story or documentary parcels out information and events in a way that is designed to evoke emotion and create a resonant journey for an audience to experience within a time frame.
"Knock Down the House" has a real problem here. None of the stories have a great arc to them. Each of the stories break down to something simple like, "I realized there was a need for political change, I decided to run, and I lost/won my race." When I say they break down that way, I am being kind. There is literally no tension in this film as to what is going to happen, who is going to win, or the opposition's plans to frustrate the candidates.
This is all not to say that the film doesn't have its moments. There are some great sound bites from the candidates and drop the mic moments that really land. I just can't help getting the feeling that those clips could have just as easily and effectively been used as social media posts or 30 sec pieces for the candidate rather than buried in a 90 min documentary of which only a few minutes are interesting.