An energizing portrait of working class, mad-as-hell action — and the birth of a national celebrity.

| Nov 8, 2023

Knock Down the House ends on a high note and despite the still turbulent climate of American politics, it acts as a solid reminder that often the greatest threat to American democracy is cynicism and apathy.

| Original Score: 9/10 | Jan 21, 2023

Still, it’s a reminder of how rare it is to get a clear, sustained look at any women in politics, and a credit to the film’s unique perspective and fascinating protagonists, that it leaves you wanting more, not less...

| Apr 5, 2022

During a time when politics has become more than just a dirty word, Knock Down the House has the potential to make you believe in government again.

| Feb 3, 2022

It's a feel-good story from Capitol Hill and really, we need more of that.

| Dec 29, 2021

Knock Down the House is a showcase of fist-pumping feminism, a shining example of what hard work and determination can achieve.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Jun 25, 2021

...one of the greatest political underdog stories seen on screen.

| Oct 27, 2020

If only the film had expanded this focus [on AOC] to include the nexus of all four women.

| Jun 30, 2020

Robin Blotnick's editing bobs and weaves between their personal and professional lives, refusing to stuff them into any gendered, ethnic, or social boxes.

| Jan 17, 2020

An average documentary that will inspire, anger, and perhaps even motivate viewers to change the world.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Dec 28, 2019

Lears makes efficient use of time, diving just enough into the lives of the candidates to understand where they're coming from, but not making them come across so weepy as to be ineffectual.

| Original Score: B+ | Dec 17, 2019

It's impossible not to find yourself cheering and feeling a lump in your throat at this David versus Goliath story. But also find your heart breaking with the tears of loss of those other candidates who were less fortunate.

| Dec 10, 2019

Regardless of one's partisan leanings, it's hard to resist the dramatic momentum of these intertwined narratives.

| Original Score: 3.5/4 | Dec 10, 2019

It's incredible how [Rachel] Lears captured AOC's improbable ascent, and for that reason alone people will get a kick out of this film.

| Dec 10, 2019

[Rachel] Lears mixes [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez's rise with the campaigns of three other Brand New Congress candidates around the country. And they're sometimes more compelling than the future congresswoman.

| Original Score: 85/100 | Dec 10, 2019

If anything, filmmakers could have spent more time with these organizations... Instead, one gets the sense [Rachel] Lears, like the viewer, was swept up into capturing Ocasio-Cortez' near mythic rise.

| Dec 10, 2019

If the storytelling is a bit uneven, the story itself more than makes for it.

| Original Score: 4/4 | Dec 10, 2019

I cheered. You will, too.

| Original Score: 5/5 | Dec 10, 2019

Although Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the "star" of Knock Down the House, the movie is at its best when it shows the hard work of community organizing.

| Original Score: B | Dec 10, 2019

It's a friendly record of an extraordinary moment.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 10, 2019