35
Metascore
9 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70Village VoiceMichael AtkinsonVillage VoiceMichael AtkinsonFarnsworth brings a smidgen of scary energy to the social hellfire, and his newbie cast often out-act the pros.
- 50TV Guide MagazineKen FoxTV Guide MagazineKen FoxIf it were possible for an entire state to sue for defamation of character, Iowa might have a strong case against writer, director and star Matt Farnsworth.
- As the downward spiral continues, "drugs are evil" is pounded into our heads again and again until numbness sets in; in this case, even a touch of subtlety would have sent a more powerful and lasting message.
- 38New York PostNew York PostThere's not much story but there are plenty of colorful, almost David Lynchian drug freakouts, as well as lots of sick violence.
- 38Chicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonChicago TribuneMichael WilmingtonA flashy-looking low-budget indie about drugs, love and crime in small-town Iowa. But, speaking as an ex-small-town Midwesterner, I found it hard to buy.
- 30L.A. WeeklyMark OlsenL.A. WeeklyMark OlsenJust because the filmmakers have their roots in the Midwest doesn't give them a pass when it comes to their stereotypical rendition of small-town people and ways, chock-a-block with sadistic cops, shotgun-toting locals, and strippers from up in Des Moines.
- Farnsworth's frenetic, often hysterical first feature tries desperately to find a style, or styles, to call its own, but there's never a moment that doesn't feel as if it's been chewed up and spit out a dozen times before.
- 30Chicago ReaderJ.R. JonesChicago ReaderJ.R. JonesUnderneath the wrapping lies a squalid Tarantino-style crime flick.
- 25New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanA story of miserable people leading miserable lives, Iowa is a sour vanity project: trash posing as a socially relevant "cautionary tale."