The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Boy Erased
Ant-Man and the Wasp
American Vandal
Log in with Facebook
OR
By creating an account, you agree to the Privacy Policy and the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes and Fandango.
Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password.
Critics 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.
Critic 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.
All Critics (42) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (37) | Rotten (5)
... outstanding documentary ...
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.
Of interest even to those not particularly interested in the subject of farming.
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.
The Real Dirt on Farmer John turns into a portrait of how American family farming could blossom for a new century.
Warmhearted.
It also, not incidentally, an inspiring vision of the way forward for food production, a portrait of what Peterson calls "a dead farm coming back to life". After reading The Omnivore's Dilemma, it may be just the antidote you need.
Inspiring, instructive, humorous, dramatic and moving, The Real Dirt on Farmer John is something special
The Real Dirt on Farmer John offers no discovery or mystery into the Peterson family or their farm, only matter-of-fact self-importance.
Yes, John Peterson is a flake, but he's a likable oddball, a rebel you can get behind.
Despite an occasional tendency to ramble on and hold forth, it stands as a worthwhile tale of down-home alternative Americana.
A triumph of baby boomer ideals, that work and art can and ought to coexist.
I think it is quite telling that a progressive farmer albeit one who is a bit eccentric is targeted instead of embraced. A lesson in how society deals with new ideas in a not so positive manner.
Super Reviewer
There are no approved quotes yet for this movie.
200 Essential Movies
Chosen by RT staff!
200 Freshest Movies
The best-reviewed since 1998
30 Great Scenes
30 great scenes in Rotten movies
Best of Netflix
Movies and shows to binge now
More News & Features
View All