- 2000
- PG-13
- Camerado
- 1 h 19 m
SummaryThe lives of New York City street booksellers are chonicled in a fascinating story about their lives, loves and perspectives on living.
Directed By:Jason Rosette
Written By:Jason Rosette
BookWars
Metascore
Mixed or Average
43
User score
Universal Acclaim
9.5
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
43
25% Positive
1 Review
1 Review
50% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
25% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
63
In monotonous narration, Rosette rants that the vendors' right to free speech should allow them to obstruct sidewalks, but the portrait of his subculture is so vaguely rendered, it will likely put audiences to sleep rather than change minds.
60
Rosette's film takes on a seriously Orwellian cast when the sellers mobilize to wage a civil war of words against the Big Brotherly NYC bureaucrats and academics trying to sweep them off the street.
By Steven Miller
FULL REVIEW User score
Universal Acclaim
9.5
100% Positive
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Mixed
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
Aug 12, 2026
10
A mindblowing time capsule of New York City before everything ''changed' - made in the late 1990's released in 2000 or so, this is a standout indie classic documentary that all New Yorkers and book lovers MUST SEE
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Aug 6, 2026
10
I agree with Matt Seitz's New York Film Critics Circle review of 'BookWars' when it first came out (year 2000); he called it ''Superb"" and ""Mesmerizing". I saw it at Cinema Village and in Manhattan and did not realize at the time this would be the sort of ''time capsule movie'', like Heavy Metal Parking Lot, which only gets better with time. Now, 25 years later, I'd call it a milestone of New York indie cinema. Its still playing on different streaming platforms, go check it out.
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50
Artless but seductive.
30
The movie is like spending an idle afternoon browsing, and not buying.
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Aug 14, 2026
9
A lovely movie about New York City and books, I couldn't tell if it was real or a story. Apparently these guys do this to make a living, or used to in the 90s and early 2000 New York. Worth seeking just for the views of ''old new york!"
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Production Company:
- Camerado
- S.A.I.D. Communications Group
Release Date:Jun 9, 2000
Duration:1 h 19 m
Rating:PG-13
Genres:
Tagline:The Word is on the Street
Website:
Awards
New York Underground Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
