Come fare soldi vendendo droga

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.

I had the pleasure of attending a screening for How to Make Money Selling Drugs and I have to start out by saying that it is a definite yes.

This is not your typical documentary. This is a really captivating story that paints an overall picture by allowing the viewer inside of each step of the drug wars and drug dealing businesses both in our country and internationally. The viewer is brought into so many different people's lives and so many facets of the drug wars that you are left whole when the film ends.

The film is funny in a genuine way, yet powerful at the same time. I will reiterate that it's something to put on your radar.

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.

There's only one way to say it.... with a title like "How To Make Money Selling Drugs" it takes balls to put this film out on the big screen. Kudos to you!

This is an issue that effects us all... your either directly related in some way or indirectly related by paying your taxes...etc. Its relevant, always has been but especially now in 2012 the election year!!

I'm not going to spoil the film, but what I will say is that if you watch docs or you don't this is going to grab your attention and hold it. Yes there have been many other drug films, many! But not done like this, its high value and beautifully shot! Filled with great interviews and several celebrities that are directly influenced or effected. This is a film is worth buying. I know documentaries are becoming more and more popular but in my own opinion most of them are just plain boring, or just not visually interesting at all. This is not the case here! Right from the start, great characters, great story and very informative! A great angle on the drug war and one that felt balanced on both sides. There are some deep moments but the theme keeps this one from getting too dark, which I personally liked. I hate the empty hopeless feeling from some docs....uh.

However definitely stay till the end as the initial hook is much deeper set and the film continues past the opening eye candy of reeling in large dollar bills. There is a message for you.

Certainly a deeper appreciation was felt for people on both sides, how quickly we have been to judge in our society or get behind polices that just sounded good, but no one cared enough to see who is affected.

Hope this review is helpful to those in doubt. Obviously I liked the film and I know its hard to tell from a good review whether to watch but if your in doubt on this one...don't be! How To Make Money Selling Drugs is fun, driven and very entertaining. Go for it!

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.