The Lottery

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The Lottery

Released May 7, 2010

1h 21m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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.

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

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Gary Goldstein

Los Angeles Times

The film takes an effective, two-pronged approach to tell its enlightening tale.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 18, 2010

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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

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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

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

An intriguing if uneven documentary...

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 5, 2010

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Madeleine Rotzler

Director

Joel Klein

Self

Susan Taylor

Self

Cory Booker

Self

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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 Rotzler
Producer: Blake Ashman, James Lawler, Madeleine Rotzler
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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