The House I Live In
The House I Live In Image
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critics What's this?

User Score
tbd

No user score yet- Awaiting 1 more rating

Your Score
0 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Summary: As America remains embroiled in conflict overseas, a less visible war is taking place at home, costing countless lives, destroying families, and inflicting untold damage on future generations of Americans. Over forty years, the War on Drugs has accounted for more than 45 million arrests, made America the world's largest jailer, and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet for all that, drugs are cheaper, purer, and more available today than ever before. (Charlotte Street Films)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: G. Allen Johnson
    Oct 18, 2012
    100
    Jarecki takes a highly original approach to create a compelling, thought-provoking look at a highly relevant and controversial topic.
  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    Oct 3, 2012
    100
    David Simon, creator of "The Wire," who argues that the targeting of minorities, fused with mandatory sentencing, has turned the war on drugs into ''a holocaust in slow motion.''
  3. NPR
    Reviewed by: Mark Jenkins
    Oct 5, 2012
    60
    The House I Live In shows Nannie Jeter as she hopefully watches Barack Obama's 2008 electoral victory, but doesn't analyze the current president's apparent reluctance to significantly alter anti-drug policies.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. LamontRaymond
    5
    It's a good documentary in that there are so many issues addressed therein that require examination (and often indignation), but it goes a bit too far and fails to even posit alternatives. I love that they highlight the difference in sentencing guidelines between powder and crack cocaine. Completely asinine, even if you don't believe that it's targeting non-whites. The other issue that I feel is huge is the manipulation of federal housing assistance - ex-cons were denied housing assistance for all but the "red" zones on the city maps - essentially the ghettos. What was not discussed in this film was exactly how the experts would deal with drug dealers in absence of jail sentences. And when the son of the Columbia professor says that he can't raise 2 kids on $8 an hour, the father should have said, "YES, YOU CAN!..... It's a start! Get 2 jobs paying $8 each, and make your dollars last!" It seems that personal accountability is not given enough weight in the discussion. And comparing the US war on drugs to the Holocaust was disgusting. I know there are elements in common between genocide and marginalizing a group of people for actually doing wrong (buying and using drugs), but David Simon (who I love from "the Wire") goes too far when he suggests that the US policy is becoming "Kill the Poor." Hard-working poor folks who don't commit crimes? Those are the people killed in Germany, Poland, Cambodia, and Russia. They don't go to prison and get killed in the U.S. It's a bridge too far, and takes away from many of the valuable lessons of the film.… Expand

Showtimes

To get showtimes near you, enter your zip code.
Find showtimes on the go with our iPhone app.

Current Movie Releases

Full List »
  1. Argo
    Metascore: 86
  2. Looper
    Metascore: 84
  3. Frankenweenie
    Metascore: 74
  4. Wreck-It Ralph
    Metascore: 73
  5. End of Watch
    Metascore: 70
  6. Dredd
    Metascore: 59
  7. Cloud Atlas
    Metascore: 55
  8. Sinister
    Metascore: 53
  9. Hotel Transylvania
    Metascore: 47
  10. Taken 2
    Metascore: 45
  11. Chasing Mavericks
    Metascore: 44
  12. Paranormal Activity 4
    Metascore: 40
  13. Resident Evil: Retribution
    Metascore: 39
  14. The Words
    Metascore: 37
  15. House at the End of the Street
    Metascore: 31
  16. Silent Hill: Revelation 3D
    Metascore: 14
All Current Movies »