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The Garden (2008)

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All Critics
Top Critics

Average Rating: 6.9/10
Reviews Counted: 22
Fresh: 17 | Rotten: 5

No consensus yet.

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Critic Reviews: 9
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 4

No consensus yet.

audience

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Average Rating: 3.9/5
User Ratings: 387

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Movie Info

In the aftermath of the 1992 L.A. riots, something truly remarkable happened at the intersection of 41st Street and Alameda Avenue thanks to an uncharacteristically charitable move by the city government; where once existed a barren field littered with garbage and syringes suddenly appeared a 14-acre community garden. Dubbed the South Central Farm, the produce garden soon began yielding fresh lettuce, ripe tomatoes, and sweet papayas. Now the local farmers could enjoy their own crops rather than

Unrated, 1 hr. 20 min.

Documentary, Special Interest

Directed By: Scott Hamilton Kennedy

In Theaters: Jun 18, 2008 Wide

On DVD: Aug 18, 2009

Oscilloscope Pictures

The Garden Trailer & Photos

More Photos (16)

Cast

Critic Reviews for The Garden

All Critics (22) | Top Critics (9) | Fresh (17) | Rotten (5)

Justice and Corruption and Profit are abstractions, and film is so ill suited to deal with abstractions.

May 21, 2009 Full Review Source: Boston Globe

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Mark Feeney

Boston Globe

Top Critic

A good documentary leaves the viewer wanting more. A problematic one leaves the viewer needing more.

May 15, 2009 Full Review Source: Washington Post

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Philip Kennicott

Washington Post

Top Critic

[Director] Hamilton captures the heart-wrenching devastation done in the name of profit, as citizens mourn. Incredibly effecting.

May 8, 2009 Full Review Source: New York Daily News

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Joe Neumaier

New York Daily News

Top Critic

The Garden is an especially fatuous documentary, nominated for an Oscar this year, about a community garden in South Central LA where Latino farmers have been allowed to grow food on somebody else's land.

May 8, 2009 Full Review Source: New York Post

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Kyle Smith

New York Post

Top Critic

This intricate and compelling documentary paints a saddening portrait of American politics.

May 8, 2009 Full Review Source: New York Times

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Jeannette Catsoulis

New York Times

Top Critic

Scott Hamilton Kennedy's plucky, powerful storytelling makes this a worthwhile experience.

May 7, 2009 Full Review Source: Associated Press

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Christy Lemire

Associated Press

Top Critic

an interesting film simply for the complexity of this issue

March 2, 2011 Full Review Source: 7M Pictures

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

The Garden moves beyond the feel good facet of any apparent ending to show how stark, stupid reality can rip said victory away. It won't make sense - none of these 'us vs. them' situations ever do - but it does create compelling cinema.

August 22, 2009 Full Review Source: PopMatters

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Bill Gibron

PopMatters

Likely to grab your heart and incite your passions.

June 12, 2009 Full Review Source: Oregonian

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Shawn Levy

Oregonian

[Director Kennedy] lets his subjects tell their tales in their own words. And that's what really makes the film interesting.

May 28, 2009 Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City

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Jeff Vice

Deseret News, Salt Lake City

A compelling, inspirational, provocative and thoroughly engrossing documentary.

May 10, 2009 Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru

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Avi Offer

NYC Movie Guru

A compelling documentary about an urban garden collective and their fight for justice in a nation where poor people are expected to keep quiet and not speak truth to power.

May 8, 2009 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice

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Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Spirituality and Practice

The documentary digs deep into the racial and monetary problems of a tumultuous, melting-pot community.

May 8, 2009 Full Review Source: Slant Magazine

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Adam Keleman

Slant Magazine

The Garden does a fine job of promoting the power of grassroots advocacy; in almost all other respects, however, this is nonfiction filmmaking that's nearly as dull as dirt.

May 6, 2009 Full Review Source: Time Out New York

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David Fear

Time Out New York

A political documentary that is as lovingly developed as the garden cared for by poor immigrants.

May 6, 2009 Full Review Source: Compuserve

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Harvey S. Karten

Compuserve

A heartbreaking documentary which landed a well-deserved Oscar-nomination for its touching portrayal of Spanish-speaking salt-of-the-earth who find it hard to fathom that the legal system could possibly side with a crook out to flatten the fruit of their

May 6, 2009 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze

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Kam Williams

NewsBlaze

An infuriatingly clear-eyed documentary...suspenseful and moving, a film that keeps you guessing (and hoping) right up until the conclusion.

April 24, 2009 Full Review Source: Hollywood & Fine

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Marshall Fine

Hollywood & Fine

Presents a classic story of the little guy taking on The Man with both thrilling and frustrating results.

April 23, 2009 Full Review Source: Metromix.com

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Geoff Berkshire

Metromix.com

A beautiful portrait of a unique downtown LA community of poor Mexican-Americans who've turned urban blight into a marvelous garden and fight a developer determined to shut them down. A moving, inspiring documentary.

April 3, 2009 Full Review Source: About.com

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Jennifer Merin

About.com

More Critic Reviews

Audience Reviews for The Garden

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This is a great documentary about a good (horrible) subject in what happened to the garden. This movie has a great pace that gives good background with interviews with just about every key subject. It has twists and turns and you start to identify with many of the subjects. Good footage and great editing. I don't know

March 9, 2011

Lee B

Academy Award Nominated DocumentaryAcademy Award Nominated film, THE GARDEN is an engaging and powerful look at the famous political and social battle over the largest community garden in the U.S (located in south central Los Angeles).A follow-up to Kennedy's award-winning documentary, OT: OUR TOWN, the film shows how

March 17, 2010