Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Documentary Now!: Season One & Season Two Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 14, 2018

Documentary Now! is inarguably one of the stranger shows on television today. The show was created by the collected comedic committee (insert "say that five times fast" joke here) of Saturday Night Live veterans Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Rhys Thomas, a veritable foursome factory of funny. Currently running on IFC with a third season in the works, Documentary Now is a collection of "mocukmentary" programs that comically, but sharply and with great attention to detail, mimic the various styles of documentary construction and presentation, covering a broad range of topics. They're presented as real, with a "legitimate" Helen Miren introducing each episode and end credits that play to the fictitious program, not tipping the hat to the real people who made the fake show a very real thing. It's a brilliant concept, simple but brilliant, and for the most part it's pulled off very well.

Documentary Now! looks back on half a century of the most “thought-provoking cinema” to come out of the Documentary genre. Host Helen Miren introduces every film, speaking on its historical importance and construction context. Season one explores the search for a drug kingpin, proving a death row inmate innocent of the murder for which he was imprisoned and sentenced, a curious Icelandic festival, and the story of a famed Rock Band’s decline. Season two, which is Documentary Now’s 51st, brings audiences documentaries on a fabled Hollywood studio bigwig (who wears a wig, er, toupée), isolated chefs, globe salesmen, and "James Carville."

For casual viewers, Documentary Now! will likely be something of an acquired taste, and viewers who aren’t familiar with the real documentaries might be lost, failing to get the wry humor and in-jokes or appreciate the meticulousness with which each program has been created to mimic those from the past. But there’s enough of a comical draw to ease even newcomers into the show, particularly as so many of the programs begin in earnest and slowly evolve into more humorously constructed narratives (though there are some which are comically ridiculous right off the bat, such as the Al Capone episode in which schoolchildren cut out construction paper models of the gangster, complete with Tommy Guns which would assuredly have them kicked out of school and sent for intensive therapy in the United States). Familiar faces abound. Daryl Hall, Cameron Crowe, and Kenny Loggins lead an amazing real-world cast in what is arguably the best of the bunch, the two-part Gentle & Soft. Meanwhile, prominent guest stars like Jack Black, Maya Rudolph, and Peter Bogdanovich appear throughout the show.

The following episodes comprise seasons one and two.

Disc One (Season One):

• Sandy Passage: A spoof of Grey Gardens: An eccentric mother-daughter pair live their lives in a run-down house overrun by stray raccoons and cats.
• DRONEZ: The Hunt for El Chingon: A spoof of HBO’s Vice documentaries: “Dronez” documentary filmmakers put their lives on the line to find the dangerous drug cartel leader “El Chingon.”
• Kunuk Uncovered: A spoof of Nanook of the North/Nanook Revisited: Answering questions about the film that launched the Documentary style: Kunuk The Hunter. This program explores the truths and fictions surrounding the story depicted in the original film.
• The Eye Doesn't Lie: A spoof of The Thin Blue Line: In 1985, a Documentary filmmaker attempts to prove the innocence of a man wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death.
• A Town, a Gangster, a Festival: A spoof of Hollywood: A documentary crew visits the small Icelandic village of Árborg where an annual celebration of the life and times of notorious American criminal Al Capone is held.
• Gentle & Soft: The Story of the Blue Jean Committee: A spoof of History of the Eagles: This two-part documentary explores the rise and fall of a 70s Rock group called “The Blue Jean Committee,” hailing from Chicago, which decided to sing about California.

Disc Two (Season Two):

• The Bunker: A spoof of The War Room: A look inside the political machine working to get gubernatorial candidate Ben Herndon improbably elected in Ohio against a popular incumbent.
• Juan Likes Rice & Chicken: A spoof of Jiro Dreams of Sushi: In the Central American country of Colombia lives a peculiarly picky chef whose lifelong love for rice and chicken has led him to open a well-regarded, but well out-of-the-way, restaurant.
• Parker Gail's Location Is Everything: A spoof of Swimming to Cambodia: A prominent monologist shares the increasingly convoluted story of his departure from his New York apartment.
• Globesman: A spoof of Salesman: Several salesmen attempt to pitch expensive globes to weary customers.
• Final Transmission: A spoof of Stop Making Sense: The Rock band "Test Pattern" puts on its final show. Concert footage is intercut with interviews clips.
• Mr. Runner Up: My Life as an Oscar Bridesmaid: A spoof of The Kid Stays in the Picture: This two-part documentary follows Jerry Wallach, bald since he was five years old, who grows up at the movies. He begins to realize the potential for vast moneymaking in the industry and moves to Hollywood, starts small, and grows his name and place in the industry until he finds himself on top of the moviemaking world as the head of Pinnacle Pictures. He dreams of winning an Oscar.

Documentary Now!: Season One & Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Documentary Now! has been cobbled together from -- read made with -- various sources to give the documentaries a number of different visual flavors and textures to better replicate the supposed age and origin of each. From fairly grainy and worn prints presented in 4x3 to clean HD video in a more modern 1.78:1 aspect ratio, viewers can expect to see something a little bit different with each episode. In that regard, the picture largely defies the traditional review process. Each appears strong in their respective contexts, though it is ironically some of the "new" HD video segments that most betray source limitations by occasionally revealing a little macroblocking, aliasing, or even thick, chunky noise (look at the "murder scenes" in The Eye Doesn't Lie). Yet these segments, such as the video presentation for Juan Likes Rice & Chicken, reveal fine and intricately detailed facial textures, clearly defined clothes and lush natural environments, and various manmade constructs. These are supported by well balanced colors across the board. Fun little flaws, such as title wobble and print wear, appear at the beginning of Parker Gail, which is one of the "shot on film" segments that retains an even grain structure and presents high quality textures and colors. For many of these "older" documentaries, the carefully considered visual drawbacks and overall presentation style are vital in the program's mood and tone, so the best advice for this one is to sit back and enjoy a wide spectrum of sources and presentations which are, generally, very visually rewarding, "warts" and all.

Documentary Now!: Season One & Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Documentary Now!'s sound requirements are minimal, and the included LPCM 2.0 uncompressed soundtrack handles core duties well enough. Dialogue is unsurprisingly king, the focal point of every episode with so much reliance on interviews, narration, and one episode built around monologues. The spoken word is clear and distinct with good front-center imaging. Music offers nice stage-stretching width and well defined definition. A few light support effects help give shape to a few episodes that require additional effects to better pull the listener into the story.

Documentary Now!: Season One & Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Documentary Now!'s Blu-ray release contains no supplemental content. A Mill Creek digital copy code is included with purchase. The release ships with a slipcover.

Documentary Now!: Season One & Season Two Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

In a world of cookie-cutter television and movies, Documentary Now! feels very fresh even if it's just humorously bent spins on well established documentary properties. The parody landscape is at its best when the subject is given the proper consideration, which it is here, when it's subtly challenged and changed and grows increasingly off the beaten path, which these do. It's good stuff, and while accessible to a wide audience, it's longtime documentary fans familiar with most, if not all, of the programs this one spoofs who will find the most enjoyment in it. Mill Creek's two-disc Blu-ray set delivers quality video and good audio. No extras are included. Recommended.