Holy Rollers
A sheltered Hasidic young man discovers that the promised freedom of international drug trafficking can sever him from the faith and community that shaped him.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- breathless
- darkly comic
- bleak
- independent film night
- crime drama marathon
What critics said
Critics generally found the premise and central performance promising, but judged the film's cliched, familiar script too shallow to give its religious and criminal conflicts sufficient depth.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sam Gold is drawn from Hasidic religious life into international drug trafficking, making communal faith and criminal commerce the film's central opposing forces.
Sam's attraction to the trafficking network is framed as an escape from constraint and a route toward status, while his affiliations and self-conception deteriorate.
The story begins by detailing Orthodox Jewish habits and traditions before placing Sam in international criminal spaces outside his community.
Critics specifically highlighted Jesse Eisenberg and Justin Bartha's twitchy, live-wire performances within the film's breathless crime-thriller mode.
Films like Holy Rollers, and why
Maria Full of Grace
shared crime drama framework, immigrant aspiration, and bleak cautionary drug-trafficking trajectory
Mean Streets
shared gritty crime storytelling, dark humor, and morally corrosive pursuit of success
Blow
shared young protagonist drawn into international narcotics trafficking and pressured by criminal associates
The Believer
shared coming-of-age crime drama focused on identity, community expectations, and illicit ambition
Movie Details
- Director
- Kevin Asch
- Release Date
- 2010-05-21
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (92)
Cast
- Jesse Eisenberg
- Justin Bartha
- Danny A. Abeckaser
- Ari Graynor
- Jason Fuchs
- Charlie Hewson
- Elizabeth Marvel
- Hallie Eisenberg
- Bern Cohen
- Stella Keitel
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Shout! Factory Amazon Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Holy Rollers about?
- A sheltered Hasidic young man discovers that the promised freedom of international drug trafficking can sever him from the faith and community that shaped him.
- What is Holy Rollers like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Holy Rollers as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Holy Rollers violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Holy Rollers as mild.
- What did critics think of Holy Rollers?
- Critics generally found the premise and central performance promising, but judged the film's cliched, familiar script too shallow to give its religious and criminal conflicts sufficient depth.
- Which films are like Holy Rollers?
- Films with a similar feel include Maria Full of Grace, Mean Streets, Blow, and The Believer.
- How long is Holy Rollers?
- Holy Rollers runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Holy Rollers?
- In United States, Holy Rollers streams on Shout! Factory Amazon Channel.
