What is The Pez Outlaw on Netflix about?

The Pez Outlaw hit Netflix on Jan. 19 after a limited theater and pay-per view release last October, earning a rare 100% approval rating from critics at Rotten Tomatoes.

Adam Graham of The Detroit News called The Pez Outlaw a “highly quirky and thoroughly enjoyable documentary about big dreams, serving a niche and the perils of taking on The Man.” His review offers kudos for the project but few specifics, but just what made the film so enjoyable to Graham and other critics?

What is The Pez Outlaw about?

The Pez Outlaw is the story of Steve Glew, a retired machinist and farmer from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula who made millions of dollars reselling Pez dispensers he imported from Europe in the 1990s after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Glew purchased dispensers that were unavailable in the United States from the official European manufacturers and distributors and took advantage of the fact that Pez had not registered their trademark with the US Customs Department to legally import them into the United States.

But he was not licensed to sell the dispensers, and eventually Pez caught up to Glew and shut down his operation. Pez collector Jim Blaine told Michigan Live, “The movie was so tastefully done. It’s his Pez story. He’s essentially a thief, stealing from Pez, but in the end, you’re rooting for him. He’s just a farmer trying to provide for his family, wanting to take care of his wife and two kids.”

By the end of The Pez Outlaw‘s run time of a little more than an hour, most viewers will be pulling hard for Glew and his charming wife, Kathy, who told The New York Times her husband is “a creative person whose mind wanders a lot.”  That wandering mind inspired him to travel to Europe over the course of 11 years, during which he earned about $4.5 million reselling the dispensers. But once he was shut down, Glew was left with thousands of dollars in debt. Glew tells his story of the little guy vs. the corporate giant in his own words on his blog, but the Netflix release of The Pez Outlaw will get his endearing tale to many more people soon.

Have you watched The Pez Outlaw on Netflix? Share your thoughts on the documentary in the comments!