--- title: "Exit Through the Gift Shop: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/exit-through-the-gift-shop/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/exit-through-the-gift-shop" critics_score: 77 critics_reviews: 16 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Exit Through the Gift Shop (2010): what the critics said Critics' score 77 from 16 reviews: 14 positive, 1 mixed, 1 negative. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 28 April 2010. The film is an admirable and entertaining documentary about street art and its commodification that the critic believes is not a hoax. Banksy emerges as a gifted filmmaker whose work here provokes questions about what counts as art. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/exit-through-the-gift-shop-2010) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Justin Lowe Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 October 2010. Festival review. The critic calls it a hugely entertaining doc that challenges conventional concepts of legitimate art and the creative process. It offers broad audience appeal through its take on cultural trends, the art divide, and celebrity. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/exit-through-gift-shop-film-29192/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 April 2010. The subversive and provocative film delights in surprise as it tells the story of a Frenchman obsessed with filming street artists and the tables-turning twist that follows. It serves as a caustic commentary on the commercialization of art while raising deeper questions about what constitutes art and who decides its value. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-apr-16-la-et-exit-20100416-story.html) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 2010. The critic finds it a teasing faux documentary that is priceless and hilarious, praising its entertainment value and insight into Banksy's work despite questioning its reliability as a documentary. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/mar/04/exit-through-the-gift-shop-review) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Rating B+. 27 January 2010. Festival review. The critic finds the film a hoot thanks to its unpredictability and twists, becoming a hilarious and trenchant exploration of the intersection of art, commerce, and hype. Banksy’s film suggests that being a modern-day Andy Warhol or a charlatan aren’t mutually exclusive. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/nathan-rabin-sundance-10-day-six-1798218882) ## Empire — Damon Wise Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 5 March 2010. The review calls the film an exhilarating whirlwind that entertains while leaving viewers uncertain about its truths. It highlights the story of Thierry Guetta/Mr. Brainwash and praises it as a provocative, post-modern debut about artistic intent and irony. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/exit-gift-shop-review/) ## The New York Times — Jeannette Catsoulis Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 15 April 2010. The film is a prankumentary that looks like a documentary but feels like a monumental con, entertainingly documenting street artists before shifting focus to the transformation of its eccentric subject into a commercial artist. It mischievously examines the commodification of street art and the hunger for the next big thing. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/16/movies/16exit.html) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 2 March 2010. The critic finds the film sparky, funny and invigorating to watch despite its odd structure and possible hoax elements. It is praised as a rousing tribute to street art and a cheeky commentary on artistic bravado and audience gullibility. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/exit-through-the-gift-shop-2) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 27 January 2010. Festival review. The review highlights the raw documentary's outrageous story of Banksy helping a fan become an overnight artist, calling it a bizarre case history that rivals the artist's own escapades. It notes the strong portrait of Thierry Guetta but faults the film for a misleading take on street art history. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/exit-through-the-gift-shop/5010080.article) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 12 April 2010. The critic notes that parsing truth from fiction is taxing in this film allegedly by Banksy, whose every facet is potentially untrustworthy. It ultimately energizes its sociological snapshot and suggests Banksy may be a real-deal 21st-century postmodernist. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/exit-through-the-gift-shop/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 23 February 2010. Festival review. The critic describes Banksy's pop-up London premiere screening of the film in an abandoned tunnel as an unconventional and memorable experience. The film itself is praised as perceptive and very funny for exploring the tension between street art's subversive roots and its growing mainstream appeal, while chronicling the movement and Banksy's role in it. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/exit-through-the-gift-shop-lambeth-palace-london-1907369.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2010. The film follows an obsessive Frenchman who documents street artists before becoming one himself under Banksy’s influence, turning into a study of self-advertisement and the art world’s embrace of derivative work. It falls short of being truly excoriating and edges too close to promoting a brand. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/04/26/street-justice) ## Collider — Andre Dellamorte Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 December 2010. The critic calls the film one of the best of the year for its layered look at outsider art, authenticity, and the art world's absurdities. It singles out the prank-like elements around Banksy, Fairey, and Mr. Brainwash as creating a compelling, multi-level commentary on modern art. [Read the review](https://collider.com/exit-through-the-gift-shop-dvd-review/) ## Paste — Michael Dunaway Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2010. The critic deems the film wonderful for its fascinating narrative about Thierry Guetta's transformation into Mr. Brainwash and Banksy's witty, disguised commentary. It singles out the exploration of whether observation changes the observed (via Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle) as the most compelling theme. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/exit-through-the-gift-shop-review) ## HeyUGuys — Craig Skinner Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 6 March 2010. The film focuses on Thierry Guetta (Mr. Brainwash) rather than Banksy himself, exploring how an obsessive documentarian becomes an artist and the hype surrounding the art world. It is an intriguing, often hilarious documentary that examines pretension and celebrity in modern art without being mean-spirited. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/review-exit-through-the-gift-shop/) ## Eye for Film — Amber Wilkinson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 4 March 2010. The film is quirky and rebellious like the street art it depicts but ultimately scattergun and unfocused, losing its way in a shaggy dog story. It raises interesting ideas about anonymity, celebrity and art but the execution and narration choices detract from its impact. [Read the review](http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/search/director/Banksy) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/exit-through-the-gift-shop.md