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Merchants of Doubt

Play trailer Poster for Merchants of Doubt PG-13 2015 1h 36m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
86% Tomatometer 87 Reviews 78% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Spin doctors spread misinformation and confusion among American citizens to delay progress on such important issues as global climate change.
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Merchants of Doubt

Merchants of Doubt

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Critics Consensus

Merchants of Doubt is a thought-provoking documentary assembled with energy and style, even if it doesn't dig as deep as it could.

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Critics Reviews

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Joe Williams St. Louis Post-Dispatch 04/09/2015
2.5/4
A movie about manufactured consensus would be a vital public service. But "Merchants of Doubt" isn't quite that movie. Go to Full Review
William Goss Austin Chronicle 04/08/2015
...largely preaches to the left-leaning choir with plenty of hissable sound bites and a generally glib tone that undercuts an otherwise understandable sense of righteous indignation. Go to Full Review
Tom Long Detroit News 04/03/2015
B-
Aside from an eye-opening investigation of useless and harmful flame repellents pumped into furniture, it sticks to climate change without broadening its scope to other examples of corporate spinning, which must be plentiful. Go to Full Review
Cate Marquis AWFJ.org 10/07/2021
A documentary about this kind of insidious industry, so-called experts hired to create public uncertainty about science topics, underscores a flaw in modern news reporting that more people need to know about. Go to Full Review
Nikki Baughan AWFJ.org 10/07/2021
Fascinating and blood-boiling in equal measure. Go to Full Review
Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/16/2020
3.5/4.0
A criminally underseen documentary. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Georgan G 10/25/2024 Have know about all this for decades. Makes me mad to even watch this since nothing has changed. See more 01/19/2021 Explains what motivates the deniers to take such an ignorant stance. The effectiveness of distraction is also masterfully displayed through the magicians. See more 12/30/2017 I can't ever remember saying, "Wow...what an asshole!" as much as while watching this documentary. See more 04/30/2017 scientists vs. tobacco, big pharma, climate change deniers lobbyists. a great documentary showcasing charm trumping solid facts. one big punch in the gut! See more 03/02/2017 it was interesting, but, nothing that we didn't know already about the Tobacco industry and the climate change concerns See more 07/06/2016 This documentary stirs up anxiety about our now "bought and sold democracy" to evil companies such as Koch Brothers, ExxonMobil, etc. See more Read all reviews
Merchants of Doubt

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Movie Info

Synopsis Spin doctors spread misinformation and confusion among American citizens to delay progress on such important issues as global climate change.
Director
Robert Kenner
Producer
Melissa Robledo, Robert Kenner
Screenwriter
Robert Kenner, Kim Roberts
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Participant Media, Omidyar Network
Rating
PG-13 (Brief Strong Language)
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 6, 2015, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$305.6K
Runtime
1h 36m
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