58
Metascore
23 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaFreakonomics is uneven, and even a little cloying, but its sum effect isn't bad.
- 67The A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonThe A.V. ClubTasha RobinsonLike the 2005 bestseller that inspired it, the movie version of Freakonomics is fleet and accessible, an enjoyably light and lively pop artifact aimed at bringing some unusual economic theories to the masses.
- 65MovielineMichelle OrangeMovielineMichelle OrangeBest in show is the final chapter, by "Jesus Camp" directors Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing. "Can A Ninth Grader Be Bribed To Succeed?" is as straightforward a title as the others are oblique.
- 60VarietyVarietyThis frisky adaptation of the Steven Levitt-Stephen Dubner bestseller on human behavior by the numbers adds up to a revelatory trip into complex, innovative ideas and altered perspectives on how people think.
- 60Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfDespite a roster of off-kilter documentarians each directing an episode, Freakonomics only partly delivers the sense of traipsing into uncharted territory.
- 60Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesThe end result is more like a supermarket on Saturday afternoon. The content is engaging, though.
- 60NPRMark JenkinsNPRMark JenkinsFreakonomics' commercial success reflected the once-fashionable notion that economics could explain, well, everything.
- 58Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanAs a movie, Freakonomics is like Jujubes for the brain - it starts to get cloying halfway through the box.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckLike the source material, it's ultimately less than the sum of its parts -- an assemblage of moderately interesting human interest stories that don't carry much weight on the big screen.
- 50Village VoiceVillage VoiceA quartet of uneven TV pilots posing as a full-length documentary.