Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Scheme

Play trailer Poster for The Scheme 2020 2h 0m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 8 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
The FBI launches an investigation into Christian Dawkins and a criminal enterprise that offers cash payments to NCAA basketball prospects.
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Scheme

Critics Reviews

View More
Steve Greene IndieWire 04/02/2020
B-
[It} has plenty of nods to the sheer dollar amounts that flow into college athletic programs across the country... But with relative whispers about the myriad other programs that are supposedly on the take, [It] can only gesture at something definitive. Go to Full Review
Tom Long Detroit News 03/31/2020
That it does so in an entertaining manner... is partly thanks to director Pat Kondelis, but the real reason this documentary works is because of a charismatic basketball wizard from Saginaw named Christian Dawkins. Go to Full Review
Richard Roeper Chicago Sun-Times 03/31/2020
3/4
At times "The Scheme" goes so deep into the weeds it's tough to keep track of all the characters and the web of corruption, though some charts and graphics prove to be helpful. Go to Full Review
Carla Hay Culture Mix 07/15/2020
The Scheme relies heavily on interviews with journalists who actually did the investigative work that's used in the movie, but the filmmakers chose not to do their own further investigations. Go to Full Review
John Serba Decider 04/01/2020
The Scheme is as fascinating as it is illuminating, and the stories and investigations that probably should follow it might be even more so. Go to Full Review
Danielle Solzman Solzy at the Movies 04/01/2020
4/5
The Scheme is the documentary that the important people college basketball probably don't want you to see. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
05/16/2020 Great Documentary. Wasn't expecting to laugh with Christian so much, but he is just brilliant. His outlook on what went down is so positive despite being put through so much. I think anything he touches would turn to gold. Loved it. See more 05/08/2020 Initially, I had zero interest in seeing this film. Story seemed old hat, played out, past it's expiration date, etc. The job descriptions alone are worth the watch. The real entertainment comes from the phone calls involving bumbling FBI agents and Uber-narcissistic, compulsively lying to save their own ass coaches. The real star is, of course, Christian; whose refreshing honesty still makes me have faith in humanity...twistedly. Cinematically, this is a work of art. Editing and cinematography are brilliant and the hidden camera footage is peppered in expertly. A well crafted documentary from start to finish that, despite its disgustingly corrupt topic will leave you with enough positive feelings to rewatch it. And the moral of the story is something, I feel, any honest sports fan can agree upon...f@^* the NCAA. See more 04/08/2020 An all too common theme in collage sports, players being exploited by the NCAA and Universities. This documentary looks to provide the perspective of the underbelly of pay to play for college basketball players, through the lens of Christian Dawkins, a young up and coming aspiring sports manager. When Dawkins become the focus of a 2017 FBI investigation, the legal and ethical dilemma involved in modern pay to play scandals is challenged. Viewers are left to wonder...who really are the bad guys in the industry of college sports? See more Read all reviews
The Scheme

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Athlete A 100% 93% Athlete A Watchlist The Acid King 60% % The Acid King Watchlist The Best Democracy Money Can Buy 50% 50% The Best Democracy Money Can Buy Watchlist TRAILER for The Best Democracy Money Can Buy Enemies of the State 76% 27% Enemies of the State Watchlist TRAILER for Enemies of the State Belly of the Beast 100% 83% Belly of the Beast Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis The FBI launches an investigation into Christian Dawkins and a criminal enterprise that offers cash payments to NCAA basketball prospects.
Director
Pat Kondelis
Producer
Lynsey Tamsen Jones
Production Co
HBO Asia, Bat Bridge Entertainment
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 1, 2020
Runtime
2h 0m
Most Popular at Home Now