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''This Place Rules'' is a 2022 American
documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...
directed by
Andrew Callaghan Andrew Thomas Callaghan (born April 23, 1997) is an American journalist and YouTube personality. He is the creator and host of the YouTube series '' Channel 5'' and ''All Gas No Brakes.'' Early life Andrew Thomas Callaghan was born in Philad ...
in his feature
directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. The film premiered on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
on December 30, 2022, and was released on
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
the following day.


Synopsis

The film follows Callaghan as he travels across the United States in the months preceding the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.


Production

Andrew Callaghan is the presenter and co-founder of Channel 5, a digital media company and web channel known for its
gonzo journalism Gonzo journalism is a style of journalism that is written without claims of objectivity, often including the reporter as part of the story using a first-person narrative. The word "gonzo" is believed to have been first used in 1970 to descri ...
and
man on the street ( ) is a List of Latin phrases, Latin phrase (originally ''Vox populi, vox Dei'' – "The voice of the people is the voice of God") that literally means "voice of the people." It is used in English in the meaning "the opinion of the majority of ...
interviews. He first discussed the then-untitled film on a July 2021 episode of the ''Fear & Malding'' podcast hosted by
Hasan Piker Hasan Doğan Piker ( ; ; born July 25, 1991), also known as HasanAbi, is a Turkish-American online streamer, YouTuber, influencer, and left-wing political commentator. His streams typically consist of political and social commentary, gaming, a ...
and
Will Neff William Savage Ebers Neff (born September 14, 1989) is an American Twitch streamer, YouTuber, and actor. He is the co-host of the game show ''Name Your Price'', alongside fellow Twitch streamer AustinShow. He is also a co-host of the ''Fear&'' ...
. In a later livestream with Piker after the films release, Callaghan revealed that the original title for the film was "America Shits Itself." Callaghan also discusses the troubles of selling his film on an episode of the ''Leftovers'' podcast in November 2022. He says that he worked on the movie for four months and then pitched it for two years. In September 2022,
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
acquired the distribution rights for a documentary film directed by Callaghan centering around the January 6 United States Capitol attack.
A24 A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American Privately held company, independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The studio is based in Manhattan. The company ...
, Strong Baby Productions, and
Abso Lutely Productions Abso Lutely Productions is an American film and television production company owned by actors Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim and producer Dave Kneebone. It is known for producing TV shows such as ''Tom Goes to the Mayor''; ''Nathan for You'' ...
were also announced as production companies. Segments from the film were shown to those who attended the Channel 5 Live tour in late 2022, during which Callaghan also revealed that it would be titled ''This Place Rules'' and released on
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
on December 30, 2022. The film's first trailer was released on December 8, 2022, confirming the title and premiere date. '' InfoWars'' host and conspiracy theorist
Alex Jones Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American Far-right politics, far-right radio host, radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas. ''The Alex Jones Show'' is the lo ...
appears in the film.


Release

''This Place Rules'' premiered on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
on December 30, 2022, and began streaming on
HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...
the next day.


Public reception

As a result of the documentary, the film's producer, Callaghan, spoke publicly to media outlets about the film. In an interview with
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
, Callaghan describes how the film is also about the role of
mainstream media In journalism, mainstream media (MSM) is a term and abbreviation used to refer collectively to the various large Mass media, mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought.Noam Chomsky, Choms ...
, "stoking fear and division" among the public as they compete for viewership in the
24-hour news cycle The 24-hour news cycle (or 24/7 news cycle) is the 24-hour investigation and reporting of news, concomitant with fast-paced lifestyles. The vast news resources available in recent decades have increased competition for audience and advertiser a ...
. CNN co-host
Don Lemon Don Lemon (born March 1, 1966) is an American television journalist best known for being a host on CNN from 2014 until 2023. He anchored weekend news programs on local television stations in Alabama and Pennsylvania during his early days as a jo ...
responded by disagreeing with Callaghan that the network had any influence on the events of January 6th. Callaghan also spoke to
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
's Alina Selyukh about the film, in addition to
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
,
Interview Magazine ''Interview'' is an American magazine founded by pop artist Andy Warhol and journalist John Wilcock in 1969. The magazine, nicknamed "The Crystal Ball of Pop," features interviews of and by celebrities. Background In 1965, pop artist Andy War ...
, and
Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps as ''TIME'') is an American news magazine based in New York City. It was published weekly for nearly a century. Starting in March 2020, it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York Cit ...
. The film received overall positive reviews, with a 94% audience approval rating on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
and
IMDB IMDb, historically known as the Internet Movie Database, is an online database of information related to films, television series, podcasts, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and biograp ...
reporting a 7.2 out of 10 for audience score. Reviews have stated the film is uncomfortable, given the format of the documentary - in line with Callaghan's other work - takes direction from the interviewees and events occurring within the film. Some felt the lack of narrative meant a clear takeaway from the film was not possible, while other's felt this echoed the intention of the film's director. The
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
gave the film a 75/100, praising it as a "fresh angle" on the events of January 6th, and commending Callaghan for his unique approach. Author = Mick LaSalle , Title = "Review: In ‘This Place Rules,’ Andrew Callaghan shows the American underbelly" ? URL = https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/movies-tv/review-in-this-place-rules-andrew-callaghan-shows-the-american-underbelly


References


External links

* {{January 6 United States Capitol attack navbox 2022 documentary films 2022 films 2022 directorial debut films 2020s American films A24 (company) films HBO Max films Films shot in Washington, D.C. Films produced by Jonah Hill