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Startup.com 2001 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Chris Hegedus, Jehane Noujaim
R, 96 min. (language) |
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Starring: Tim Herman, Kaliel Isaza Tuzman
Producers: D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, Jehane Noujaim
Cinematography: Jehane Noujaim
Distributor: Artisan Entertainment
Released: 5.11.01 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
Startup.com is a documentary that tells the story of a typical internet business venture that starts fast, builds momentum, then
fades into oblivion all inside of two years. The late 90s are full of similar internet business failures, mainly because they were too
closely connected with jittery Wall Street investors that flooded the market with startup capital, only to call in their debts a year
later. Chris Hededus and Jehan Noujaim (The War Room - Clinton's 1992 Presedential campaign story) do a remarkable
job of simply being a "fly on the wall" so to speak, capturing every tense and light-hearted moment of the business' short
existence. How they were allowed to film such private moments between friends I'm not sure, but it sure is impressive.
Two friends create govWorks.com, an internet venture that allows the average person to pay their parking tickets online,
and ensue on a short but emotionally-riveting 18 months that test not only their business skills, but their friendship. They
are Tom Herman and Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, who left a good job at Goldman Sachs to become CEO of the fledgling company.
Their idea was simple but potentially lucrative, and, for a while, it seemed it might take off. However, like most similar
businesses, it fell prey to a lack of funding and technical problems with its software. The story follows the two friends through
thick and thin, and test each other's ability to separate business and personal feelings for the good of the company.
Their moments are joyful and painful, much like any new business venture, and we feel as uncomfortable as Tom and Kaleil
do during a business meeting where Kaleil must let Tom go from the company. Its riveting, and it's hard not to become
too involved yourself - this is what happens when a film is so realistic (obviously, since it's a documentary) that you can
easily transform yourself into their roles, making the impact of the film more effective than a fictional story. Whether
you've ever tried to begin a company yourself, or have gone through the growing pains associated with similar projects,
Startup.com will make you revisit those memories, for better or for worse.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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 | Masterpiece - Film perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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