The Anarchist Cookbook (2002)

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Absolutely Fantastic

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This is probably one of the worst movies ever made. I had pretty high expectations of this film, but they were quickly crushed.First of all, there is almost no plot to this movie until the end. I sat through it twice to try to figure out what was going on. In the beginning, it shows a bunch of whinny brats crying about how the government controls everything and that we need Anarchy.When the movie starts to develop a plot, it is pretty horrid. Johnny Black is the main villain. I know what most people are thinking, "Wow, they got real creative with character names!" Anyways, the lead character hooks up with Johnny Black in order to spread Anarchism, but Puck (the lead character) quickly realizes how "bad" Johnny Black really is and kills him and all of his terrorist buddies.The only good part of this movie, was at one point the "anarchists" were questioning people some religious people at a seminar.Watching paint dry is more interesting than this piece of garbage. Don't buy the DVD or VHS, it will decrease the value of the dust that it collects. Don't download it, there are better things for you can use hard drive space for such as viruses. If someone gives you a copy of this movie, immediately destroy it. This movie has scarred me for life!

Let's see, we have Anarchists, Nihilists, anti-government right-wingers, wealthy Republicans, Neo-Nazis, but no Democrats at all. Being a moderate Democrat which at times veers towards Centrism, I found this movie lacking a bit. While some scenes were smart, others came off as stupid, un-original, un-realistic and improvised. Puck lives with his friends in a Anarchist commune somewhere in Texas. These are Anarchist that resemble more flower children. One day, a Nihilist called Johnny Black shows up, offer everyone drugs and violence as a weapon and somehow becomes the leader. Later on, the Anrchist forge an alliance wit other anti-establishment groups such as Neo-Nazis. First of all, not all Anarchists are peace loving intellectuals. Many are upper-class spoiled brats that simply want to vandalize anything (Yes I know plenty of these, they do exist). Many do follow Anarchist theory but fail to realize it's utopianism. Johnny Red the early leader,constantly lionizes Sweden as an exemplary society but somehow Social Democrats are missing from the film's universe. Anarchists tend to be socially liberal and would NEVER form an alliance with Neo-Nazis. If Puck didn't agree with the system, he could of found ways to subvert it by integrating himself into alternative cultures and political movements (YES, lobbying does work). Other reviewers are correct in pointing out the similarities between this movie and SLC Punk and Trainspotting. Despite its plot's weakness, Anarchist Cookbook has a witty script and at moments stylish direction. Gina Phillips as the commune temptress, steals most of her scenes.

not bad. entertaining but utterly useless in the means of converting anyone to any political view. kinda like the feeling of watching a scary movie, when a stranger is knocking on your door, don't let him in. it also tells a unlikely story of how a peaceful group turned rouge. things like that mostly starts from people inside getting desperate, not from a stranger. still it is quite entertaining. i am the sort of person who try to watch a movie and see what information is right and which is fictional, which is wrong by error and which is wrong by purpose and this movie is great in that matter. I've enjoyed it but it wont satisfy if you want to learn something. in that sense its rubbish.

So, you are tempted by anarchists? Be aware that "Johnny Black" is just waiting to spoil everything. Suddenly Nazis will be your best friends and you will loose your real friends, because those "anarchists" use drugs to control their followers. On "archive.orgy" funny clips from long ago can be downloaded, like the one that warns you not to get aroused by your boyfriend, because you will be pregnant at once and loose every hope. This movie is the 1990s version of such educational propaganda. Funny that these things persist in times of post-modernity, might be related to who's got the means to make movies? Difficult to imagine, for whom this movie is made.