Alicia I love this movie so much

TinsHeadline Touches You

SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

SnoopyStyle It's 1998 Brooklyn. Sam Gold (Jesse Eisenberg) is an Orthodox Jew. He works in his father's fabric store. He wants to marry Zeldy Lazar but he doesn't have the money. His friend Leon's brother Yosef (Justin Bartha) offers him a job. He asks Leon to join him. They get tricked into smuggling ecstasy from Amsterdam to New York for Israeli Jackie. Sam rises in the organization recruiting other Orthodox Jews. Rachel (Ari Graynor) is Jackie's brassy girlfriend.I would have liked Sam to be a good guy corrupted into this world. The problem is that he's a money-grubbing selfish kid to begin with. They're also a bit too stupid at the start. As for a crime drama, there is limited drama. It's not that exciting. The premise offers some potential but it's not that compelling.

Bene Cumb This relatively short (1h 25min) movie is inspired by actual events in the 1990ies when Hasidic Jews were recruited as "mules" to smuggle ecstasy from Europe (mostly from The Netherlands) into the United States. The introductory part of the screenplay, however, is too long - I mean the events prior to smuggling process. On the other hand, the movie gives a good overview of customs and habits of Orthodox Jews - definitely interesting for non-Jews - and manners of recruiting people for illegal trafficking. The club scenes seem a bit lengthy though... Well done anyway, and the director Kevin Asch won the Breakthrough Director Award at the 2010 Gotham Awards.Jesse Eisenberg gives his best performance so far - and so different from the one in Social Network, for which he has been praised higher. His interpretation of Sam/Schmuel Gold, a mild-manner 20-year old youngster gradually becoming a smuggling activist, is so convincing and at times funny - although there is always tough and troubled background visible. Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor and Danny Abeckaser are also worth mentioning, going with the atmosphere.A recommendable movie - and a warning against involvement into illegal trafficking and drug use.

TxMike SPOILER: I was able to watch this on Netflix streaming movies. For me, a Roman Catholic raised in the deep south and with zero knowledge of the ways and lives of New York Hasidic Jews, it was a pleasure to get a glimpse of a vastly different lifestyle and system of beliefs.Jesse Eisenberg, who was so good in 'Social Network', is really good here. His character, Sam Gold, is 20, and the family expectations are that he will continue his studies and become a Rabbi. As the movie begins he works with his father in fine garment materials, and is meeting the girl he is being arranged to marry.But things take a very quick change when another Jew, a bit older and a bit more worldly, asks if he would like to take a trip to Europe and make $1000. Sam asks the questions, is assured nothing funny is going on. But as we soon find out they are smuggling Ectasy in from Amsterdam, using the young Hasidic Jews as mules, not raising any suspicion at customs.This is the coming of age of Sam, but in a very dangerous manner. The closing credits explain how they were caught and what prison time they served, but the very ending credits say the characters and situations are fiction, so I'm not sure what to believe. Still, a good movie. Also interesting that Eisenberg's real younger sister plays Sam's younger sister in the movie.

jessespeer I really enjoyed Holy Rollers. I want to see it again. They did a good job portraying Sammy's frustration with the uptight moral values of his family and church. Just watching that first half with all the churchgoing and family rituals and not at all any fun-having, I was like yes, drugs, sex, bring it on, this is ridiculous. It was all so dry and boring it was no wonder. The scene where Jackie's girlfriend talks to Sammy while on ex is phenomenal. Just dead on. I have never seen any movie previously do such a realistic portrayal. Go see the movie just for that scene it is entirely worth it.There were not a whole lot of moments in the film that just rang completely false, I mean it was pretty honest. It was a pretty respectful movie and I appreciated that.When Josef calls out to his little brother from the car, all coked up, taking off his watch and yelling that he's gotten him a present. Priceless.I didn't get it though how Sammy's father just completely abandons all hope in his son. I mean being such a religious man and all, he didn't really offer any forgiveness or understanding. Being all "Why?, Why?" I mean he had to understand why at least to some extent.I also did not get this one scene where Josef gets into a fight with these two guys, Sammy starts to drive away, calling out to Josef, and then it cuts to some buses or something. That was confusing.I was going to explain what I liked about the ending but I don't want to spoil it :)Go see it