Search - 24 Hours on Craigslist on DVD

Julia R. (julia) from GERMANTOWN, MD
Reviewed on 9/6/2009...

Fascinating.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

So much fun!

Mr. Man | 04/28/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This film is a celebration of the tremendous value craigslist.org has brought to the lives of its users, specifically in san francisco, but surely around the world where it is now prevalent. While it starts off a bit loose and light, it evolves into an absorbing portrait of the diversity of the san francisco populace, from quirky roommates to alternative and sometimes seedy sex seekers. It captures how craigslist unites us in an almost fantastical community we are proud to be part of. Indeed, it is as much a celebration of San Francisco as it is Craigslist. Some have criticized the film for covering too many stories and not concentrating enough on a single narrative. But that wouldn't represent what craigslist is, and why it's great. And 24 Hours On Craigslist's broad spectrum of vignettes are edited with great skill, and do allow for a coherent film. It's funny, poignant, real, and refreshing."

Pointless Montage of Eccentrics Yields Random User Experienc

Ed Uyeshima | San Francisco, CA USA | 02/13/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I understand what director Michael Ferris Gibson is trying to do, but his free-form approach is the first and last inspiration this 2006 documentary has to offer. With the possible exception of "Basic Instinct 2", it might well be the most pointless film I have seen in the last several years. Instead of making a film about how the site works and providing an underlying context for the operation of its unique network of online urban communities, Gibson simply looks at the most eccentric users of the site and spotlights their personalities for comic effect. He has no problem finding oddball characters to fill his self-indulgent tableau, for example, an Ethel Merman impersonator looking to start a 1970's-style power band, a pony-tailed butler for hire, an anal-retentive mother who justifies having six strollers to sell, a heavy-metal chef, a baby brigade of mothers working out at the emptied-out Stonestown Mall, and a man who rents himself out as a husband but has a bigger dream of becoming a rent-a-husband pimp.

The list goes on and on, as each episode is introduced under their appropriate categories on the home page. Eight camera crews were sent out to document all these users on a single day in August 2003, but the problem is that there is neither an organizing (nor an exit) strategy behind all the unrelated, human interest stories. The only points of commonality are the stereotypical and rather unfair images that are conjured up of San Francisco as a magnet for lunatics, and to a lesser degree, the contrived device of making a mystical figure out of founder Craig Newmark, whom many in the film believe does not actually exist. The overabundance of extras on the double-disc 2006 DVD is marginally more interesting than the film itself. On the first disc, there is an intermittently interesting commentary track by Gibson, as well as four featurettes describing various aspects of the site and the cultural phenomenon it represents. The second disc offers over three hours of outtakes, which I frankly couldn't watch for more than a few minutes. For heavy Craigslist users, I'm sure this film holds some interest, but others can skip it without regret."

Good, kind of fun,

Jesse Hires | 02/20/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It was kind of fun to watch. Not awe inspiring. I bought it mostly because I like the website. But if you like people documentaries, you will like this. If you are a techie looking for more information about craigslist, this movie doesn't have it. It's about the people who use craigslist and not craiglist itself.
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