Apr 20, 2026 3:52pm PT

‘Everyone Is Lying to You for Money’ Review: Ben McKenzie’s Knife-Sharp Documentary Takedown of Cryptocurrency

Why is crypto so confusing? Because it's all designed to sell an illusion.

By

Owen Gleiberman

Plus Icon

Owen Gleiberman

Chief Film Critic

@OwenGleiberman

Latest

‘Lorne’ Review: Just When You Thought You Were Done Looking Back at ‘SNL,’ Morgan Neville’s Puckishly Playful Lorne Michaels Doc Completes the Picture

5 days ago

‘Mother Mary’ Review: Anne Hathaway Plays a Gaga Pop Star, and Michaela Coel Is Her Designer, in David Lowery’s Thuddingly Pretentious Fantasia

6 days ago

‘Mile End Kicks’ Review: Barbie Ferreira Is a Young Music Critic in an Indie-Rock Comedy Where Reality Bites

1 week ago

See All

[

](https://www.facebook.com/dialog/share?title=‘Everyone%20Is%20Lying%20to%20You%20for%20Money’%20Review:%20Ben%20McKenzie’s%20Knife-Sharp%20Documentary%20Takedown%20of%20Cryptocurrency&sdk=joey&display=popup&ref=plugin&src=share_button&app_id=278816682243900&href=https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-review-ben-mckenzie-1236725504/)

[

](https://twitter.com/intent/post?url=https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-review-ben-mckenzie-1236725504/&text=%E2%80%98Everyone%20Is%20Lying%20to%20You%20for%20Money%E2%80%99%20Review%3A%20Ben%20McKenzie%E2%80%99s%20Knife-Sharp%20Documentary%20Takedown%20of%20Cryptocurrency&via=variety)

[

](https://google.com/preferences/source?q=https%3A%2F%2Fvariety.com)

[

](https://share.flipboard.com/bookmarklet/popout?v=2&url=https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-review-ben-mckenzie-1236725504/&title=‘Everyone%20Is%20Lying%20to%20You%20for%20Money’%20Review:%20Ben%20McKenzie’s%20Knife-Sharp%20Documentary%20Takedown%20of%20Cryptocurrency)

[

](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-review-ben-mckenzie-1236725504/&description=‘Everyone%20Is%20Lying%20to%20You%20for%20Money’%20Review:%20Ben%20McKenzie’s%20Knife-Sharp%20Documentary%20Takedown%20of%20Cryptocurrency)

[

](https://www.tumblr.com/widgets/share/tool/preview?shareSource=legacy&canonicalUrl&url=https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-review-ben-mckenzie-1236725504/&posttype=link&title=‘Everyone%20Is%20Lying%20to%20You%20for%20Money’%20Review:%20Ben%20McKenzie’s%20Knife-Sharp%20Documentary%20Takedown%20of%20Cryptocurrency)

[

](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-review-ben-mckenzie-1236725504/&title=‘Everyone%20Is%20Lying%20to%20You%20for%20Money’%20Review:%20Ben%20McKenzie’s%20Knife-Sharp%20Documentary%20Takedown%20of%20Cryptocurrency)

[

](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=1&url=https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-review-ben-mckenzie-1236725504/&title=‘Everyone%20Is%20Lying%20to%20You%20for%20Money’%20Review:%20Ben%20McKenzie’s%20Knife-Sharp%20Documentary%20Takedown%20of%20Cryptocurrency&summary&source=variety)

[

](whatsapp://send?text=‘Everyone%20Is%20Lying%20to%20You%20for%20Money’%20Review:%20Ben%20McKenzie’s%20Knife-Sharp%20Documentary%20Takedown%20of%20Cryptocurrency%20-%20https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/everyone-is-lying-to-you-for-money-review-ben-mckenzie-1236725504/)

_

Courtesy of The Forge

I’ll read a news story about more or less anything, but I glaze over at the prospect of consuming any article about cryptocurrency. That’s because even when I do read one, I never totally get it — what cryptocurrency is, how it works, why it’s treated as the second coming by some while others roll their eyes. The future of many things, including money, will surely be digital. So is cryptocurrency just an early-adapter version of the digital monetary future? Yet if that’s so, why does it always feel like crypto is the sort of thing that used to be advertised on late-night TV along with K-Tel pop-hit collections? And why does the very concept of crypto leave me so confused_?