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Parents' Guide to

Gimme the Loot

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Fun, low-budget story of New York teens has language, drugs.

Movie NR 2013 85 minutes
Gimme the Loot Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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New York writer/director Adam Leon makes a most impressive independent debut with GIMME THE LOOT. Though it's a realistic movie about the African-American experience in New York City, it's also devoid of over-earnestness, documentary realism, shaky-cam effects, hip-hop music, and downbeat hopelessness. Instead, it's a great deal of fun, emotionally touching, and even surprisingly old-fashioned.

It's interesting that Leon doesn't soft-pedal his characters. They may have good hearts, but they most certainly have criminal tendencies: graffiti, stealing, selling stolen goods, dealing drugs, etc. The leads' strong performances help. Likewise, the rest of the characters are nicely complex, despite their brief amounts of screen time, notably Malcolm's fickle, upper-crust customer, who offers an interesting mix of wisdom and cruelty in her character. In the bigger picture, Leon also makes great characters out of New York City's lesser-known neighborhoods.

Movie Details

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