Reason calls the film "an impressive achievement" that is "an engaging, complete account of the arguments and relevant data in the fight over school choice."
The Boston Globe calls the film a "a full-frontal assault ... on the teacher unions and administrators whom Bowdon sees as stubborn stranglers of innovation," and declares that in The Cartel, "the causes and consequences of the failings of public education are chronicled in extraordinary detail."
New Jersey's RedBankGreen notes that "Here in New Jersey, there's probably no bigger "hot-button" issue than public education and its discontents... and there's likely never been anything so poised to push that button than The Cartel." The review also praises the film's distribution strategy, noting that in Jersey, the film "couldn't have been scheduled any better by the savviest movie publicist -- from last Tuesday's historic voter rejection of municipal school budgets, to the ongoing investigation that brought the FBI to the doorstep of the region's biggest education superstar."
And viewers love it.
Here's a letter to the editor of the Daily Record, from a New Jersey woman:
To the Editor:The movie, The Cartel, is one of the most revealing documentaries that I have ever watched. In plain language, Bob Bowdon both educated his watchers about the corruption and propaganda schemes used by politicians to support certain systems within schools and gave ideas for reform.
Anyone interested in the future of America should see this movie. After all, the students muddling through schools that are more concerned with money than responsible teaching will be the ones who will be in charge of our country. And the fact is that most students simply aren't getting the education they need from America's K-12 schools.
But the most interesting part of the documentary wasn't the extreme corruption, the teacher unions, or the blatant want for money by some teachers and administrators over the welfare of their students.
The solution to this problem intrigued me most: free markets. Bowdon suggested that more choices of schools should be given to parents. In giving such choices, horrible schools will be forced to make themselves better to keep students -- or close down. Competition will keep schools in much better shape than they are now because there would be no guarantee of students if the school is doing a poor job.
The free market system -- the idea that competition will keep prices lower and improve quality -- is the way to reform the public school system. Funny, but I thought that this was discovered years ago, by the same people who crafted the Constitution of the United States.
VICTORIA YUSKAITIS
Sparta
The Cartel is currently playing in Houston, and in selected theaters across New Jersey. It opens in eight major cities this Friday. Check out TheCartelMovie.com for locations and times.