I remember a couple of years ago when MTV produced The Real World Movie: The Lost Season. I was sitting at home on a Saturday, and didn’t know exactly what I had tuned in to. At first, I was just watching the show as if it were any other first-episode of a season of The Real World. It wasn’t long, however, before I realized that something strange was going on. Once I realized that the “documentary” was an elaborate hoax, I promptly changed the channel. Let’s be honest… reality shows are manipulated en…ugh on their own, why would producers intentionally make it worse?
This documentary falls somewhere between and actual episode of The Real World and Fahrenheit 451. The film follows the members of three couples after their respective break-ups, and chronicles what it is like to move on and find someone new. Just when the documentary starts to get sincere, viewers are treated to a scene with one of the actors arguing with the producers or the camera crew about who they should ask out or what they should do next. Like I said before, I am certain that kind of thing happens, I just don’t want to see it blatantly portrayed on camera.
The honest truth is, the film is actually pretty entertaining. This is the documentary equivalent of a Britney Spears single. It has been completely manipulated, there is no intellectual content, but it certainly catches your interest. Just don’t tell any serious film buffs that you actually watched it with a willful eye.
Audio
I was actually pretty surprised that the audio quality is as good as it is on this film. Documentaries are notorious for poor audio, especially those that take an unscripted guerrilla approach to the shoot. This one, however, is well above average. Almost all of the dialog is easy to hear, and subtitles are provided for the rare parts that are not. Music cues are also full, with nice low end.
Video
Unfortunately, the video quality is not as great as the audio. Some pretty major blemishes flash on the screen with an alarming frequency, which really disrupts the flow of the film. There are also some instances of grain, especially in the nighttime scenes. Jagged edges also rear their ugly heads from time to time. All told, however, the video quality actually is quite clear, especially considering the fact that the film was shot on small portable hand held cameras.
Special Features
All the basics are here, including the film’s inferior trailer, some deleted scenes, outtakes (a curiosity for an authentic documentary) and a feature length director’s commentary. The commentary is very hard to hear, and it sounds like it was recorded on minicassette. What you can hear is exactly how much of the film is scripted. In fact, the character’s names are even changed for the documentary. Absolutely nothing about this film is real. Enjoy the commentary on a lie.
Conclusion
This is a truly odd disc. On the one hand, it is a completely phony documentary full of manipulated characters and situations. On the other hand, I actually got pulled in to it anyway. I am a reviewer. I should know better. I do know better. What can I say… for me, this film is the very definition of a guilty pleasure.
Special Features List
- Trailer
- Deleted Scenes
- Outtakes
- Commentary
