How to Make Money Selling Drugs

This documentary really blew me away. It was funny, entertaining and informative. The message totally hits home and the film does so in such an effective way.

My favorite part of the film was definitely the way that the story was told. The ten steps were executed flawlessly with such incredible talent. To have such a great mix of celebrities with actual drug king pins really heightens the experience and made me feel like this topic touches such a wide breadth of people.

I also kept thinking about the film long after I left the screening. To me, this is a real sign of a great film.

At the end of the film's premiere, the 300-odd cinema buffs at the Toronto Int Film Festival were in shock. They were still absorbing the multiple emotions evoked by the film's personalities and power. Ostensibly about the war against drugs and the drug trade, "How to Make Money Selling Drugs" paints on a much larger canvas. So many everyday impressions of how governments work, what the drug trade is, and how it's become such a scourge were overturned, it was difficult to take it all in. I think many will see the film a second or third time to fully absorb its import.

The production values are unusual for a documentary. "Talking heads" do not appear as such because everyone we get to meet comes across as a whole person, a unique individual with hopes, weaknesses, and strengths outside of the discussion at hand. They are characters in a real life story with real life consequences for them and the world around all of us. We get to know every one of them a little bit. I left wanting to learn more about many of them. What happens as a result is that the film rises to another level, another theme — a deeply human portrayal of the human condition. A surprisingly revealing mirror of ourselves. It's reporting of the highest possible caliber.

9.1 of 10. Starts out feeling like a comedy, a faux documentary, in part because of the title, but also because the opening few minutes mock the opening of any "how to get rich" or "how to be successful" TV/video nonsense. Then the alternate reality shifts into reality, but continues with the quick pace and fun attitude for what is a tragic look into the past and present of drugs.

It's essentially The War on Drugs documentary for Colbert Report and Daily Show fans, maybe even South Park fans. About the only thing it does wrong is not provide enough charts and data. What it does provide are seamlessly integrated into the film. I would have also like the part on Portugual explored a little more deeply.

But wait, there's more! No need for a gun, you can make money by selling drug fear too! This is more than a literal look at how to make money by selling drugs. It gets into the many different ways politicians and corporations are profiting from drug prohibition.

How to Make Money Selling Drugs is an entertaining and fast paced ride that delivers a clear message. Whether you believe in decriminalizing drugs or not, the film gives nuggets of perspective that allow the audience to go on a path of discovery of their own, while still maintaining the film's own voice. The actual delivery of the message was the highlight for me. The film follows people from all walks of life - giving the audience a well-rounded, well researched and well conceived view. I find that many documentaries, especially on such controversial topics, can come out one-sided, but this is a true exception where you never feel forced to feel a certain way, but come out forming your own opinions that somehow mesh with the film's core values.

So, in sum, brilliant!

Most documentaries nowadays have excellent production value. This one is no different. It makes its point eloquently with appealing footage and (political) arguments all sautéed in an emotionally-rich sauce. It's effective if manipulative.

The message is controversial. It is outside, way outside, the mainstream understanding of drugs, its effects (medical and recreational), and its politics. Granted, public understanding of drugs is essentially zero and any form of knowledge, no matter how trivial, necessarily surpasses the official, infantile message of "evilness".

However, it is a mistake to think this is an educational documentary or that it is a documentary that will teach you anything relevant about any of the topics allegedly addressed. It is just (political) entertainment that will find fertile ground among a certain clique.