67
Metascore
20 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 90The New York TimesStephen HoldenThe New York TimesStephen HoldenOffers the clearest analysis of globalization and its negative effects that I've ever seen on a movie or television screen.
- 90Village VoiceVillage VoiceDevastating, artful, and intelligent documentary.
- 90L.A. WeeklyErnest HardyL.A. WeeklyErnest HardyBlack's cool-headed but blistering indictment of globalization and the racist international economic policies that have shoved that country into crushing poverty.
- 83Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerSeattle Post-IntelligencerSean AxmakerIt's smart, instructive political cinema that tackles complex issues of the globalization with practical examples and vivid images and presents its effects in immediate human terms.
- 80Washington PostMichael O'SullivanWashington PostMichael O'SullivanAfter viewing documentarian Stephanie Black's dour exegesis of the wrecked Jamaican economy -- only the most insensitive vacationer will want to set foot anywhere near the resorts and beaches of Montego Bay.
- 80New Times (L.A.)Robert WilonskyNew Times (L.A.)Robert WilonskyHard to watch, harder still to ignore.
- 75New York Daily NewsJami BernardNew York Daily NewsJami BernardThis is a sophisticated and unsettling documentary marred only by a voice-over taken from the writings of Jamaica Kincaid.
- 75Philadelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyPhiladelphia InquirerCarrie RickeyWhat's frustrating for the viewer who wants to support the Jamaican economy is that "Life and Debt" does not suggest how Jamaica-lovers can help the island's citizens.
- 75Boston GlobeBoston GlobeEmploys both eloquent and down-to-earth methods to explain the complex reasons why so many of the world's developing countries remain caught in an economic quagmire that prevents them from becoming self-sufficient.
- 10The A.V. ClubKeith PhippsThe A.V. ClubKeith PhippsTough to respect a documentary that doesn't play fair. Anyone interested in the subject would be better off spending Life And Debt's torturous 80-minute running time with a good article on the topic.