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The Real Dirt on Farmer John (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:40
Fresh:35
Rotten:5
Average Rating:7.4/10
Consensus: Ostensibly a bio about an eccentric farmer, The Real Dirt on Farmer John also doubles as a stirring exploration of man’s common struggle with loss and prejudice.
Runtime: 82 mins
Genre: Musical & Performing Arts
Theatrical Release:Jan 20, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: The Real Dirt on Farmer John is a personal documentary about John Peterson, a farmer, artist, and eccentric/innovative thinker cast in rural Illinois. Filmmaker Taggart Siegel has documented John's... [More]
Director: Taggart Siegel
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Reviews for The Real Dirt on Farmer John
| Tomatometer | Critic | Review | Category |
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Inspiring, instructive, humorous, dramatic and moving, The Real Dirt on Farmer John is something special Full Review |
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 2/5 |
The Real Dirt on Farmer John offers no discovery or mystery into the Peterson family or their farm, only matter-of-fact self-importance. Full Review |
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Click to read the article Full Review |
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3/4 |
Yes, John Peterson is a flake, but he's a likable oddball, a rebel you can get behind. Full Review |
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4/5 |
... outstanding documentary ... Full Review |
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It’s fascinating that this portrait of the rise, fall and rise of Midwestern organic farmer John Peterson can be read in so many different ways, only some of which appear intentionally in Taggart Siegel’s sympathetic documentary. Full Review |
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Of interest even to those not particularly interested in the subject of farming. Full Review |
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Despite an occasional tendency to ramble on and hold forth, it stands as a worthwhile tale of down-home alternative Americana. Full Review |
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B+ |
A triumph of baby boomer ideals, that work and art can and ought to coexist. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
Like its title character, The Real Dirt on Farmer John is a simple, effective movie with a lot on its mind. Full Review |
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A beguiling combination of agrarian ode and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, deepened by Peterson's square sincerity as he struggles to find himself in relation to his family's land. Full Review |
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B+ |
The Real Dirt on Farmer John turns into a portrait of how American family farming could blossom for a new century. Full Review |
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3/6 |
Warmhearted. Full Review |
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3.5/5 |
'What do you do when nothing is left?' is the question that drives The Real Dirt on Farmer John.
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3/4 |
Taggart Siegel's loving portrait of eccentric farmer John Peterson is an epic writ small that focuses on a life lived almost entirely on a Caledonia, Ill., farm yet encompasses six decades of changing American social mores and economic upheavals. Full Review |
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3/4 |
It does leave you smiling -- and just a little bit hungry. Full Review |
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3/4 |
Don't be surprised if, by the finish, you wind up fantasizing about your own rural homestead. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
What a blessing this film is, for everyone who's chosen the road less taken, and even perhaps for anyone who's stood in their way. Full Review |
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At times, the film plays like an extended infomercial for John's new company, Angelic Organics, but the agrarian fantasy is so compelling here that the revitalization of the American family farm begins to seem not just possible, but probable. Full Review |
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3.5/4 |
A beautiful documentary. Completely fascinating, with a topic that hits home even if home for you isn't a farm. Bio of a guy, not a celebrity, politician, nor rich person. Full Review |
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