The documentary starts out as a mock guide to how to be a successful pusher, explains how drug dealers, smugglers, kingpins and drug lords make money and the risks involved, with the ultimate aim of setting the stage for the real purpose for the film. It then seriously examines what perpetuates the War on Drugs and criticizes it, while providing suggestions and opinions from those trying to deal with the problem of drugs from outside of the institutionalized and incentivized war.
Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 77% of 39 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 6.6/10.[4]Metacritic rated it 69/100 based on 16 reviews.[5] John Anderson of Variety wrote, "By being both glib and preachy, this highly stylized pic ends up being a tiresome buzzkill".[6] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The entertaining doc is more serious than it seems but has little new to say."[7] Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times wrote that "there's a lot to learn" from the film, but it overwhelms viewers with unnecessary flash and "relentless voice-over".[8] Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times wrote that it "begins as a slick, tongue-in-cheek guide to successful dope dealing" but "masterfully evolves into something far more vital, cogent and impressive."[9] Ernest Hard of The Village Voice wrote, "It's a smart, funny, tough-minded film crammed with data and personal anecdotes" that help to illuminate the costs of the drug war.[10]Linda Holmes of NPR wrote, "Whether or not you agree with its underlying critique of existing drug policy, How To Make Money Selling Drugs is an ambitious, creative attempt to talk in a single film about everything from the disparate treatment of black and white dealers to the influence of asset forfeiture on law-enforcement strategies to the devastation of Mexico's drug war."[11] Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "While it won't win any Oscars, Matthew Cooke's new documentary How To Make Money Selling Drugs may take the prize for being the shallowest and most glib film of the year."[12]
