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If You Build It

Play trailer Poster for If You Build It 2014 1h 22m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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78% Tomatometer 27 Reviews 88% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Designer Emily Pilloton and architect Matt Miller go to a struggling community in North Carolina to teach high-school students about their craft.

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If You Build It

Critics Reviews

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Tirdad Derakhshani Philadelphia Inquirer 03/07/2014
3/4
An inspiring, educational, highly enjoyable documentary from director Patrick Creadon, best known for 2008's I.O.U.S.A., which chronicled America's less-than-healthy fiscal condition. Go to Full Review
Loren King Boston Globe 02/27/2014
3/4
The film is about innovation inside and outside the classroom and the transformative power of good teaching. Go to Full Review
Walter V. Addiego San Francisco Chronicle 02/27/2014
3/4
[Creadon] probably errs on the side of advocacy here. But give him credit for acknowledging that idealistic endeavors don't always pay off. Go to Full Review
Bernard Boo Way Too Indie 04/03/2019
6/10
It's a limited viewpoint of a much larger, high-stakes issue. Go to Full Review
Nguyên Lê The Script Lab 10/10/2018
It's joyful upon seeing the kids realize there's a humanitarian angle to all this and discover they can do more than what the run-down surroundings dictate to them. Go to Full Review
Marty Mapes Movie Habit 05/15/2014
3/4
Unorthodox shop class says if you build it, it will mean something to you Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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04/23/2018 If You Build It - 4 out of 5 - A beautiful quick Documentary about to teachers trying a new kind of design class its quite interesting See more SirN Z @Sirnz 01/08/2018 Interesting, but not a good movie. The audience score has to be fabricated. No pun intended. See more 10/01/2015 Teach a man to fish rather than give a man a fish...great film. See more 04/09/2015 A documentary with tons of heart "If You Build It" is worth a watch. Telling the story of an impoverished small town, and revolutionary architects who come to teach high schoolers, it is impossible to not fall in love with all of the main characters. The end result is astonishing. See more 02/21/2014 A really nice doc on a very fascinating idea. It's a great showcase for teamwork and how we could be using education in better and more productive areas rather than sitting students down for over the top math classes that have limited use for most students taking the classes. Here is where you can teach students how to do math for real situations rather than for a test. Overall, it isn't the most compelling documentary but an interesting one at best See more 01/11/2014 Beautiful film supporting small town public education and helping a small town get back in its feet. Of course when a town has people who don't want to help themselves.... Would have been a better experience if friends of the producers weren't playing on their phones the ENTIRE movie!! See more Read all reviews
If You Build It

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Movie Info

Synopsis Designer Emily Pilloton and architect Matt Miller go to a struggling community in North Carolina to teach high-school students about their craft.
Director
Patrick Creadon
Producer
Christine O'Malley, Neal Baer
Distributor
Long Shot Factory
Production Co
O'Malley Creadon Productions
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 10, 2014, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.9K
Runtime
1h 22m
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