Everyone Is Lying to You for Money

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Everyone Is Lying to You for Money

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1h 30m

Documentary

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100%

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12 Reviews

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Fewer than 50 Ratings

In Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, actor and author Ben McKenzie turns investigator, pulling back the curtain on the cryptocurrency industry and the culture of hype, misinformation, and speculation that fueled its explosive rise. What began as a promise of financial freedom has evolved into a volatile ecosystem rife with fraud and reckless gambling, carrying with it devastating consequences for everyday people. Through firsthand reporting, expert interviews, and a clear-eyed examination of major collapses and scandals, the film traces how crypto became one of the most aggressively marketed financial products of the modern era--and how warning signs were ignored, dismissed, or deliberately obscured. As fortunes are made and lost, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money asks a sobering question: who benefits from the chaos, and who is left to clean up the damage? Accessible, urgent, and often darkly ironic, the film is both a cautionary tale and a call for accountability--cutting through the noise to expose a system built on speculation, influence, and belief rather than truth.

Thelma Adams

AARP Movies for Grownups

3d

4/5

Is this leading man a winning bet as a documentary filmmaker? I'd invest.

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Owen Gleiberman

Variety

6d

A lively, knife-sharp, impeccably researched and reported documentary that answers every conceivable question you’ve ever had about crypto, and does so in a way that’s brisk and funny and illuminating rather than intimidating.

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Alissa Wilkinson

New York Times

Apr 17

The cryptocurrency story, [McKenzie] argues, is powerful because however we feel about it, we agree on its premise: Our current economic system is broken, and somebody’s got to fix it.

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Max G. Robinson

MovieJawn

55m

McKenzie is a gifted storyteller and does an incredible job explaining the complex scam at hand in a way that’s breezy, informative and enraging.

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Rick Hong

Film Threat

Apr 20

7/10

Like Bourdain, [McKenzie] also pulls back the curtain with lightheartedness and humor. The joke is never lost that he will always be remembered most as Ryan Atwood.

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Brian Farvour

The Playlist

Apr 17

B

This is a movie about illusion, misdirection, and people trying to pass one thing off as another. McKenzie says crypto is stupid, and the film spends the rest of its runtime arguing that it is worse than stupid...

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Tex S

@tschenkkan 2h

If you’ve ever wondered what’s REALLY going on with crypto, now you can find out. And guess what? It’s a scam. This is a funny, insightful, entertaining deep dive into the real world of crypto. That sounds like an oxymoron but it isn’t. McKenzie is knowledgeable and dogged in pursuit of the truth about something that seems too good to be true because it is. Economics and hilarity don’t usually go together but the former star of the OC, Southland and Gotham delivers.

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Manan J

@RT64452712 4d

Everyone’s selling something. This film just stops pretending. Everyone Is Lying to You for Money doesn’t try to sugarcoat anything—it leans straight into the discomfort. The world it shows feels a little too real, and that’s exactly what makes it hit harder. What works is the honesty. It’s sharp, observant, and doesn’t waste time trying to be likable. Every scene feels like it’s exposing something—systems, people, or just the way things actually work behind the surface. The storytelling stays tight, with a tone that never loses focus. It knows what it wants to say—and says it without hesitation. It’s not perfect. At times, it can feel a bit too direct, almost like it’s pushing its point harder than needed. Final Verdict: Not here to comfort you. Here to call things out—and it delivers. Cinema wins. Mediocrity loses.

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Sean L.

@RT59957325 4d

Surprising funny & slick for a documentary about how currency economic are (supposed to) work.

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Bella A

@RT31624380 5d

Highly recommend this entertaining and informative film about an important subject matter. I’ve been a crypto skeptic for some time now, but even I learned a lot from this movie. Netflix should pick up this one!

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Anna O

@Anna135 5d

In spite of being someone who’s never had any interest in crypto, this film had me engaged from beginning to end. Brilliant in its tone, direction, and message. Would highly recommend!

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Eat S

@eatseat 5d

Fantastic! Shows the lie that is the giant crpytoindustry complex.

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Ben McKenzie

Director

Ben McKenzie

Self

Morena Baccarin

Self

Gerard Butler

Self

Alex Mashinsky

Self

Sam Bankman-Fried

Actor

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Synopsis

In Everyone Is Lying to You for Money, actor and author Ben McKenzie turns investigator, pulling back the curtain on the cryptocurrency industry and the culture of hype, misinformation, and speculation that fueled its explosive rise. What began as a promise of financial freedom has evolved into a volatile ecosystem rife with fraud and reckless gambling, carrying with it devastating consequences for everyday people. Through firsthand reporting, expert interviews, and a clear-eyed examination of major collapses and scandals, the film traces how crypto became one of the most aggressively marketed financial products of the modern era--and how warning signs were ignored, dismissed, or deliberately obscured. As fortunes are made and lost, Everyone Is Lying to You for Money asks a sobering question: who benefits from the chaos, and who is left to clean up the damage? Accessible, urgent, and often darkly ironic, the film is both a cautionary tale and a call for accountability--cutting through the noise to expose a system built on speculation, influence, and belief rather than truth.

Director: Ben McKenzie
Producer: Giorgio Angelini
Screenwriter: Ben McKenzie
Distributor: Eammon Films
Production Co: Easy Money Productions, Section Perspective
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 17, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 30m