They say that some of the best things happen by accident, or that some of the best ideas come out of play, when people are enjoying themselves instead of stressing over the next big idea.
That , or maybe they come out of a drinking spree while on the road .
Earlier this year three big names on the former SNL (Saturday Night Live ) cast got together and came up a creative idea for a new show called Documentary Now .
A series that takes iconic documentaries and transforms them into mockmentaries , but with a little more dignity and visual appeal. And so far we love it.
When you get comedy geniuses like Fred Armisen, Bill Hader and Seyers Meyers together, you better some magic and your stomach and muscles tired from laughing. Fred and Bill are ofcourse two amazing actors/comedians/accent experts and Seth Meyers are charming host and amazing writer.
This really is a show I think many people should give a chance, for several reasons, like the writing is extremely good with very direct and simple lines, which go well with the format .
It’s not educational exactly but it does give someone exposure to a different culture or knowledge of a documentary that the public enjoyed. I don’t think someone has to be a documentary lover to enjoy this because all the episodes are complete and comical in there own like extended digital shorts . But for the people who do enjoy documentaries this is going to a trip , when the spell is broken and they can appreciate how silly everything is.
I personally believe that’s one of the most amazing aspects about comedy . A joke can make something complicated very simple and break down logic in such a way that it loses its power over the mind. Nothing is dramatic or emotional anymore it’s still deep and humanistic but not serious, which is a good thing, because laughter is what people need.
Ofcourse not everyone was happy with the series or concept, because generally a documentary is treated with a lot of respect and considered a high art or something respectable that should be taken seriously . Which is understandable, but there is a fine line between mocking something and making a joke about it. It’s not easy to be able to differentiate between the two unless one is an expert or at the other side of the joke or just not in on the joke. An example would be of the Sandy Passage episode which is a parody of Grey Gardens . Grey Gardens was a heartfelt look into the decline of a once almost royal family , a mother and daughter of eccentric natures dealing with issues ; and Fred Armisen and Bill Hader basically turned them into crazy cat ladies who are full of themselves and crave attention while feeding a racoon.
And that might seem offensive to some people, but I think the joke is not the subject of the documentary, it’s on the nature of documentaries. Here the enemy of comedy is cheap sentiment ; which is how a documentary normally works with dramatic lines , awe inspiring music and artistic cinematography. But it’s all a trap or part of the trick sometimes.
There are lots of small documentaries on the Internet and some award winning documentaries that have logical flaws and are historically inaccurate but since they have their own soundtrack people buy into the story .
Documentary Now shows the audience that very thing . This is not an attempt to rewrite history or mock anyone it’s more of a play of cinema and visual media , while maintaining a level of conformity with the original form. By using the same colour pallettes or lens to get the same look but fulfill the basic goal of making people laugh.
So this is a tv show you have to watch out for and give a chance, because I think season two is coming out soon.
They get four stars out of five because I like them.
Maheen's Muse 