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Aaron Stanford, Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Michael Rapaport, Judah Friedlander ... see more see more... , Kevin Dunn , Ebon Moss-Bachrach

An aspiring small-town criminal edges in on the family business of an old acquaintance, only to find things quickly spinning out of control when an emotionally unstable cop begins investigating the ca... read more read more...se. Clueless criminal wannabe John "Rugged" Rudgate (Aaron Stanford) spends most of his time forging rebate coupons and selling speakers on the streets, but upon receiving a peculiar blast from the past he begins to dream of more lucrative criminal endeavors. It seems that John's old friend Jeff Lagrand (Paul Schneider) has arrived back in town to assist his sardonic sister (Zooey Deschanel) in maintaining the storage facility bestowed upon the pair by their recently deceased father. Of course, any self-respecting criminal would see this as an opportunity to make a pretty penny, and despite his small-time background Rugged is now ready to make the leap into the big leagues. Though his attempt to pry his way into the family business at first seems to be going along swimmingly, Rugged soon finds his criminal endeavors thwarted by a particularly sensitive cop (Michael Rapaport) who, despite his emotional fragility, remains determined to crack the case. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

44% liked it

5,838 ratings

Critics

40% liked it

15 critics

R, 1 hr. 29 min.

Directed by: Andy Robin, Gregg Kavet

Release Date: December 31, 2006

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DVD Release Date: July 24, 2007

Stats: 338 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (338)

  • dreamfaeries
    August 29, 2010
    dreamfaeries
    A bit of a miss with me. I loved Paul and, of course, Zooey in their roles but the storyline left me a little flat. Needed more with Zooey to punch it up a bit. It was... eh.
  • LWOODS04
    March 14, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Aaron Stanford, Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Juah Friedlander, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Kevin Dunn, Peter Anthony Tambakis, Michael Rapaport

    DIRECTED BY: Andy Robin & Gregg Kavet

    Taking its title from the state motto of New Hampshire, "Live Free or Die" is a deadpan comedy a... read morebout a clueless, aspiring criminal named John "Rugged" Rudgate, who spends his days forging rebate coupons and selling speakers out the back of his van. One day, Rugged runs into an old acquaintance, the dim-witted Jeff Lagrand, who recently returned home to help his cynical sister run the storage facility that they inherited from their father. When Rugged tries to force his way into the Lagrand family business, things go terribly wrong--and the situation gets even more complicated when an emotionally unstable cop begins investigating

    Well it didn't turn out to be as funny as I had hoped, but it had some good laughs. I found Pual Schneider and Zooey Deschanel to be the only funny two. Schneider's character was just one those off-beat characters that I love. Not so obviously funny. There should have been more Zooey in this movie. Would have been better I think. It was a bit boring at times and kinda silly. But I think it being silly was kind of the writer's intent. But all in all a decent watch.. Maybe..
  • gator681
    April 13, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]In "Live Free or Die," John "Rugged" Rudgate(Aaron Stanford) is a legendary petty thief in New Hampshire who specializes in stealing stereo speakers. While making the rounds, he meets an old friend, Jeff Lagrand(Paul Schneider), who although none too bright,... read more inherited a storage facility with his sister, Cheryl(Zooey Deschanel). Rugged in a futile attempt to prove himself a hardened criminal takes credit for the murder of a local politician and spikes the well of a bully with brake fluid...[/font]
    [font=Century Gothic][/font]
    [font=Century Gothic]"Live Free or Die" is the kind of movie that gives independent films a bad name, existing solely as an exercise in condescension towards small town life in general, New Hampshire specifically.(For that reason, a former acquaintance would have found this hilarious.) Overall, it is faintly amusing and Zooey Deschanel is the only actor worth watching, but sadly she is not onscreen enough to make a difference.(Which was pretty much the only reason I watched it in the first place...) Maybe if the movie had been less jokey and the script had been more polished, there might have been something here. A competing plotline about the local police is just aimless until it almost dovetails with Rugged's story, but never fully does. [/font]
  • wbgoose13
    June 14, 2007
    wbgoose13
    Goofy small-time criminal farce isn't as funny as it thinks it is.
  • shanehaley41
    January 2, 2009
    shanehaley41
    A little slow, kinda boring at times but Lagrange keeps you interested with his somewhat dim-witted comedy. Not enough Zooey by any means. I like the message though, sometimes the image or the legend is so much easier to grasp than the truth. If we all lived with the reality and ... read morenot the fantasy this would be a pretty boring existence.
  • tecneek253
    June 20, 2009
    tecneek253
    movie about a small time crook pretending to be more than he is and an idiot "sidekick".......i thought it was kinda funny....not enough zooey.......judah's funny
  • ginamarielopez
    January 2, 2009
    ginamarielopez
    There were times when I wanted to turn this movie off and times when I genuinely laughed out loud. You never really know what you are gonna get from a ThinkFilm. In the end it wasn't terrible and the irony of it all was amusing. Rugged wants so badly to have this image of a tough... read more criminal and in the end he gets that but in reality he actually dies and his body is buried underneath a bunch of trash. It made me smirk.
  • cynder66
    October 21, 2007
    cynder66
    Meet "Rugged" Rudgate, a total loser trying to be a bad *ss. Every time he does something actually bad (or thinks he does) he freaks out and tries to fix it or hide it. In my opinion, this movie is trying too hard to be funny. If you are attracted to the title like I was, you are... read more more likely not going to like this movie. I suggest watching S.F.W. or Run Ronnie Run instead.
  • RolliezPolliez
    August 7, 2007
    RolliezPolliez
    This movie's got great characters with loads of personality...maybe not the best acting, but certainly a funny movie that made me laugh out loud at times.
  • BanaticAKAHillhero
    July 29, 2007
    BanaticAKAHillhero
    I reallt enjoyed it, it was funny, and it was natural funny not that stupid funny, that cant happen in life. I really liked the whole complexity the story had, and I really enjoyed watching the character John "Rugged' Rudgate lying about the kind of person he was, it was a differ... read moreent movie to watch, I really enjoyed the it for the time it lasted. The ending wasnt so good, thats why I didnt gice it 5 stars... but besides that, its good time spent.

View All Live Free or Die Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ty Burr
March 30, 2007
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Live Free is a comedy of vastly diminished criminal expectations. That's the fun of it, and the frustration, too. Full Review

Joe Leydon
April 5, 2006
Joe Leydon, Variety

Very much like its hapless lead character, a small-town, small-time hustler who yearns to present himself as a dangerous outlaw, Live Free or Die tries too hard, to little effect. Full Review

Sandie Angulo Chen
November 1, 2007
Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media

Small-town indie crime comedy is short on laughs. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
July 26, 2007
Sean Axmaker, MSN.com

... low-key black comedy stars Aaron Stanford as a two-bit blowhard and small-time scammer swimming in the shallow end of the New Hampshire gene pool. Full Review

Christopher Null
July 20, 2007
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com

just isn't very funny, too wrapped up in its wild plot and loser lead character to ever get around to delivering a punch line Full Review

Brian Zoromski
June 25, 2007
Brian Zoromski, IGN Movies

The best aspect of Live Free or Die is its unpredictability. From Rugged pulling a gun out of a kitchen drawer to the sight of his rusty blue van rolling away without anyone inside, you never quite kn... Full Review

Frank Lovece
April 12, 2007
Frank Lovece, Film Journal International

None of the movie's flaws negate its many remarkable little performances and casually insightful script. Full Review

Jette Kernion
April 8, 2007
Jette Kernion, Cinematical

A Will Ferrell/Steve Carell-style comedy that lacks the charm associated with those actors' films. Full Review

Robin Clifford
April 4, 2007
Robin Clifford, Reeling Reviews

[Live Free or Die] is a mildly entertaining little flick but a slight effort. Full Review

Laura Clifford
March 31, 2007
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

a lightweight film, sort of a less gruesome, slacker take on 2005's "The Ice Harvest" crossed with a common man's "Garden State," that is elevated by a cast that maintains interest when the plot lags. Full Review

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Live Free or Die Trivia

  • Which movie in the Die Hard saga is about a techno-terrorist hacker that launches as attack on on the USA's computer systems over the 4th of July weekend.  Answer »
  • The new movie LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD , will be called something else when it hits the movie screens in AUSTRALIA, What will it be called?  Answer »
  • From the keywords name the movie: 4.0, John McClane, Internet terrorist, Hackers, Live Free, 2007, Die...  Answer »
  • Guess the movie title by decoding its antonym... Die Imprisoned and Live Soft  Answer »
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