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The Lottery

Play trailer Poster for The Lottery Released May 7, 2010 1h 21m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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64% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
This documentary, directed by Madeleine Sackler, shows the tough choices that face inner-city parents regarding their children's education. With public schools, especially in poor areas, often failing to effectively educate children, many parents have turned to charter schools. The film examines the issue and chronicles the journey of four families from Harlem and the Bronx in New York City attempting to overcome the long odds and gain entrance for their children in a successful charter school.

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The Lottery

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Mick LaSalle San Francisco Chronicle You look at all these beautiful kids, with all the potential in the world, and every expectation for a great life, and you know that at most one-sixth of them will come out of the room with a fighting chance. That shouldn't be. Rated: 4/4 Jul 22, 2010 Full Review Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times The film takes an effective, two-pronged approach to tell its enlightening tale. Rated: 4/5 Jun 18, 2010 Full Review Bill Weber Slant Magazine The Lottery insufficiently dares a more probing documentary approach in addressing the crises surrounding inner-city education. Rated: 2/4 Jun 15, 2010 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Entertaining, insightful, and moving. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 14, 2020 Full Review Louis Proyect rec.arts.movies.reviews Although the movie has an extremely retrograde viewpoint, it is a must-see for those trying to understand the hype around charter schools. Nov 2, 2010 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews An intriguing if uneven documentary... Rated: 2.5/4 Oct 5, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (35) audience reviews
Audience Member This is a must see documentary. It will open your eyes to our decaying public education system. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member The commentary by Karl Willingham (56 minute marker) broke my heart. "No Child Left Behind," seems to be leaving countless numbers behind. So very sad. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Makes me grateful to live in Anchorage with its very progressive charter school system. I know that there are groups that oppose charter schools but I was stunned to witness how furiously some will defend the status quo. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Plain and simple...children deserve a quality education no matter their income level, race, ethnicity, family background, location of their home, etc. How are we suppose to grow a flourishing future for our families, our communities, and our country without educating our children? Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member For those concerned about the state of our education system and the future of our children, this is a must see. The disparity between charter and public schools in inner cities is striking, and like no other film I've seen this builds a credible, statistically-backed case for the promise that structural reforms can bring to the education system. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Unique immersion in everyday family life in Harlem, upending stereotypes about the lazy poor. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Lottery

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis This documentary, directed by Madeleine Sackler, shows the tough choices that face inner-city parents regarding their children's education. With public schools, especially in poor areas, often failing to effectively educate children, many parents have turned to charter schools. The film examines the issue and chronicles the journey of four families from Harlem and the Bronx in New York City attempting to overcome the long odds and gain entrance for their children in a successful charter school.
Director
Madeleine Sackler
Producer
Blake Ashman, James Lawler, Madeleine Sackler
Production Co
Great Curve Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
May 7, 2010, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$51.5K
Runtime
1h 21m
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