Rating: 
Summary: Should have been called CEO-of-startup.com
Review: As far as documentaries go, this one isn't very good. I was expecting to see a film on the rise and fall of an internet company. Instead, I got CEO and buddy yell into a phone. I was very disappointed not to find out about the day-to-day operations of the company, what the 200+ employees did all day while Kaleil was meeting with VC's, or why they waited until the night before the launch to first test their site (sheesh, no wonder the business failed). Even knowing WHO the employees were would have been nice. Otherwise, it makes Kaleil and Tom's talk of being a family, not a company, sound hollow. Even for what it was trying to do, by focusing on the two founders and their relationship, it didn't do very well. There was so much I didn't know about Tom and Kaleil, no background information was given other than they had known each other since high school. Where did they go to college? We find out Kaleil left his investment banking job to work on govworks.com but what did Tom do before? How did Kaleil come up with the idea of a website to pay parking tickets? Who were the other founders and what were their roles in the company and relationship with Kaleil and Tom? Why should we care about these guys? I quickly found myself not caring about them, their company, or thier dog. This could have been a good documentary if the directors had been more focused. So much was left unexplained, I was more confused at the end then enlightened - not a good sign for a documentary. I give it 2 stars, one for Tom's daughter (very cute little girl) and one for giving me a chance to laugh at two of the fools who ruined our previously healthy economy.
Rating: 
Summary: Reality television just doesn't get much better than this
Review: I debated between 4 and 5 stars on this one and finally decided on 5 because this movie/documentary was just that good. The film has a "Real World" style and feel to it and the drama that unfolds when two friends breath life into an Internet startup company will keep you glued to the screen. Success comes swiftly and the cameras are right there to capture the deals, the frustrations and, perhaps even most exciting, the moments where friendships collide with business relationships. There are no actors in this film. These are the real people and the cameras were in on meetings, waking people up in the morning, riding in the car with them, listening in on their phone conversations and pretty much everything else in order to give an accurate picture of what was going on in the creation and management of govWorks.com. Startup.com gives you an inside look into the inner workings of not only the company, but the personal lives and thoughts of its founders. You'll see their ups and downs, laughter and tears, triumphs and ultimate failures. Reality television just doesn't get much better than this.
Rating:
Summary: HANDS DOWN THE BEST
Review: I don't think its possible for me to put into words how much I loved this documentary (Not ficitonal movie). I don't know why this is not REQUIRED viewing at any and every self respecting business school in the world, let alone the U.S. I have never seen anything which portrays the trials and tribulations of attempting to startup a multi-million dollar company and from such a personal perspective. These guys were shooting for the stars, not trying to open up a juice bar on the corner. It shows all the hurdles they face, all the necessary steps, UNBELIEVABLE!! I would give this film a thousand stars if possible. If you are memorized by the internet boom/bust like me, you must, I REPEAT MUST see this film. Watch it and you'll know what I mean. Unbelievable!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: HILARIOUS!!! Why is this not a comedy?
Review: I can't say enough about this DVD. It's what happens when an egotistical moron and his subserviant pushover "friend" from high school start a company based on something they know nothing about. As you watch the movie, it becomes clear that neither of them know anything about computers, programming, or the necessity of a functional product. Just look at when they're in a meeting and Kaleil is confused by "things flying across the monitor." I'd bet money it's a screensaver. Just look at how they cut out the solution to the problem there. What could this huge number of employees POSSIBLY be doing? A simple database program like this could be made by less than 10 people in a week!! The most hilarious part in my opinion is that Tom winds up going back to work with Kaleil after it's all over. How can't he see that he's been used? A better question is how do the editors of the documentary buy into Kaleil's rhetoric? When they're doing their commentary in the extras, they don't seem to notice the humor of the situation at all. I think Dora said it best: they're a bunch of little kids all dressed up playing grownup. I'd point out other stuff, but there just isn't enough space to glorify every moment. Beware if you're looking for a serious dramatic work, but if you're looking for an evening of laughs and self esteem improvement, you've got it!
Rating: 
Summary: ExcellentDon'tMiss.com
Review: Startup.com is one of the best 2001 films now available on DVD. It is a documentary and about the trials and tribulations of a start up internet company but it also a Heart-wrenching, emotionally involving story about hopes, dreams and friendships. We watch as a group of friends begin their company (in May of 1999) and in less than 2 years are running a 50 million-dollar corporation employing over 250 people (Govworks.com). And then it all begins to fall apart' rapidly. We watch as CEO Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and to a slightly lesser extent Tom Herman become famous via business magazine covers, columns, articles, television news programs, CNN interviews, and even a meeting with a President in which Kaleil suggests the President Clinton consider working for his company when his presidential term is over. It's all here and it really happened. The film-makers shot for over two years and were editing the more than 400 hours of video/film right up to their Sundance premiere in early 2001 and re-edited the last few minutes of the film just prior to it's theatrical release in May of 2001. Jehane Noujaim started the film. Noujaim became Kaleil Tuzman Harvard roommate and they remained good friends. After quitting her job at MTV with plans to go to her homeland Egypt to make a film Noujaim instead began filming Tuzman as he quit his job to begin this company with his old high school chum and a small circle of friends. She contacted Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker for help in financing the project. They were excited about the idea and Hegedus enthusiastically became a partner in the project. Hedges and her husband, D.A. Pennebaker made the excellent Moon over Broadway (about Carol Burnett's return to Broadway) and The War Room (behind the scenes of Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign) in recent years. Pennebaker is the legendary documentary filmmaker who made the famous film about Bob Dylan, Don't Look Back and Monterrey Pop. Pennebaker produced the film and Hegedus and Noujaim co-directed it. The filmmakers have access to some remarkable private moments, some confidential private meetings and some very special events (like Bill Clinton and in another scene with a speech from former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson.). At times the film doesn't take quite enough time to explain some of the inner-workings of financing the company and we don't spend quite enough time on the problems and development of the software itself--but to do so would have meant slowing the movie down and focusing it more on the business and less on the people involved. Every once in a while you can be confused with what is going or why' but, life doesn't stop and explain itself to you as well as it should either. If it's a flaw, it's one that is easy to over-look. I wish the filmmakers did include a little more footage of the special relationship Tom Herman had with some of his co-workers. He was the one who insisted on hiring women in the company and he had a much warmer management style which we don't see much of in the film. There's some moments in the film, particularly at the end, where the film-makers deliver just the right balance of verite' and crossing over the line a bit for the sake of some much needed humor. I don't want to spoil a few moments by saying more than that, but there are several subtle pay-offs, which occur during the film's final moments, which end the film on a very human and ironic note. This is a film about a lot more than the rise and fall of a dot com company. The film was shot on digital video and is present in the original perspective it was shot in Standard 1:33:1. The picture is sharp and clear and free from any technical problems whatsoever but it is documentary film-making on the fly and cinema verite'. The Audio is a strong Dolby 5.1 mix The sound quality varies slightly because of the manner in which the film was shot and the sound originally recorded. However we can clearly hear all of the important dialogue and at times, when the film gets very quiet, we are aware how free from defects the audio actually is. The too short interview with the documentary filmmakers gives a face to the filmmakers. Some of the information they talk about on-camera is repeated during their feature audio commentary. The very thorough production notes are appreciated. It is a real shame however that not all of the pre-release extras that were announced by Artisan several months ago are on the disc. Extra footage, and commentary from Kaleil and Tom would be a huge asset to the DVD package and I can only assume there were last minute problems that meant the plans to include such commentary had to be scrapped. The feature length commentary track starts out by covering the same ground as the short interview featurette but after 30 minutes we start learning some interesting details and getting some insights into things we are not seeing on the screen. We learn some interesting information and even about a tragedy that occurred to one of the people we see during the film. It's well worth the time to listen to the commentary but it can't top one of my favorite commentaries of all time (the one on Moon Over Broadway). Christopher Jarmick,is the author of The Glass Cocoon with Serena F. Holder a critically acclaimed, steamy suspense thriller
Rating:
Summary: so good, you'd hardly beleive its a documentary
Review: I had the pleasure of seeing this film at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema. .... ..."Startup.com" is an amazing documentary following the rise and fall of an Internet startup company. A handful of twentysomething entrepreneurs, armed with an idea, a $200,000 initial investment, and a vision to facilitate government interaction on the Internet, set out to assemble a business from the ground up. From half a dozen partners to hundreds of employees and millions of dollars in investment capital, the young businessmen grow faster than they'd ever dreamed. Soon come CNN appearances and meetings with President Clinton. But before long, we're no longer following the rise of an Internet company... we're following its destruction. The subject of the film is amazingly engrossing: seeing and feeling the emotions inside a startup business was so fascinating. However, "Startup.com" is brilliant for reasons beyond its superb subject matter. Documentary has, to me, come to mean a clunky outsider's perspective. This film, though, dispelled that myth. The story, the testimony, the interactions in "Startup.com" really do take you inside the subject matter they set out to explore; this is the work of two master documentarians. Two distinctly different persons are followed as the film subtly depicts friendships and the conflicts of personal and business relationships. This kind of multi-layered narrative and characterization is something I've witnessed before in only the greatest of screenplays. And therein lies what makes "Startup.com" so incredible--there was no screenplay, it was real life--5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Very intriguing and awesome!
Review: I've watched many documentaries but nothing comes closer to home for me than "Startup.com" which features the rise and fall of the American dream. I'm sure many people who worked for a rise and fall dot.com can watch this documentary and see their company and its founders similar to Kaleil Isaza Tuzman and Tom Herman and govworks.com.
I'm always amazed by the quality of the documentaries comming from Pennebaker Hegedus Films and Noujaim Films. From politics to the beginning of a startup company, they did an amazing job showing the beginning of making a company, co-founders having problems with one another and the roller coaster of emotions that is displayed throughout the complete 103 minutes. You are seeing genuine emotions, these are not Hollywood actors, you are watching young businessman trying to make their own startup succeed and the results when friendships is tested.
The movie is featured via 5.1 Dolby surround. Don't expect too much from the audio because it is a documentary. No special effects here. As for special features, we are treated to a special featurette titled "Documentarians on Documentary" and the movie trailer. Also, commentary by the directors is available.
Although I wish there was more included in this DVD, especially perhaps some footage of the guys with their new startup or somehow commenting about their feelings of the actual documentary. But I found this documentary very intriguing and awesome! All in all, this was the type of documentary I waited for and the DVD was definitely worth the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: Reality television just doesn't get much better than this
Review: I debated between 4 and 5 stars on this one and finally decided on 5 because this movie/documentary was just that good. The film has a "Real World" style and feel to it and the drama that unfolds when two friends breath life into an Internet startup company will keep you glued to the screen. Success comes swiftly and the cameras are right there to capture the deals, the frustrations and, perhaps even most exciting, the moments where friendships collide with business relationships. There are no actors in this film. These are the real people and the cameras were in on meetings, waking people up in the morning, riding in the car with them, listening in on their phone conversations and pretty much everything else in order to give an accurate picture of what was going on in the creation and management of govWorks.com. Startup.com gives you an inside look into the inner workings of not only the company, but the personal lives and thoughts of its founders. You'll see their ups and downs, laughter and tears, triumphs and ultimate failures. Reality television just doesn't get much better than this.
Rating:
Summary: HILARIOUS!!! Why is this not a comedy?
Review: I can't say enough about this DVD. It's what happens when an egotistical moron and his subserviant pushover "friend" from high school start a company based on something they know nothing about. As you watch the movie, it becomes clear that neither of them know anything about computers, programming, or the necessity of a functional product. Just look at when they're in a meeting and Kaleil is confused by "things flying across the monitor." I'd bet money it's a screensaver. Just look at how they cut out the solution to the problem there. What could this huge number of employees POSSIBLY be doing? A simple database program like this could be made by less than 10 people in a week!! The most hilarious part in my opinion is that Tom winds up going back to work with Kaleil after it's all over. How can't he see that he's been used? A better question is how do the editors of the documentary buy into Kaleil's rhetoric? When they're doing their commentary in the extras, they don't seem to notice the humor of the situation at all. I think Dora said it best: they're a bunch of little kids all dressed up playing grownup. I'd point out other stuff, but there just isn't enough space to glorify every moment. Beware if you're looking for a serious dramatic work, but if you're looking for an evening of laughs and self esteem improvement, you've got it!
Rating: 
Summary: Dot Gone
Review: Startup.com has to be the worst documentary that I have ever watched. I thought that the DVD might be interesting to a web geek who enjoys documentaries, like myself. The documentary is poorly shot and poorly edited. I wanted the documentary to be over much sooner than later. Whoever funded the duplication and distribution of this DVD was probably one of the venture capitalists who funded any stupid idea in the dot com bubble.
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