I would be doing a disservice to the world at large if I didn't spotlight a long running television institution hosted by Hollywood treasure Helen Mirren.
Wait, let me try that again. I would be doing a disservice to the world at large if I didn't spotlight the mockumentary show pretending to be a long running television institution hosted by Hollywood treasure Helen Mirren.
The product of a collaboration between comedy geniuses Fred Armisen and Bill Hader, Documentary Now! is genre-busting nugget of gold.
Documentary Now! serves as a hilarious parody of many well-known documentaries including Grey Gardens, The Thin Blue Line, and Nanook of the North.
The thing that makes Documentary Now! different from other mockumentaries (Like This is Spinal Tap) is the fact that there are two levels of humor. First, there is the general absurdity that comes with parody of all kinds. Then, about halfway through each episode, the documentaries take hard left turns and viewers suddenly find themselves watching something very different from what they initially started.
Armisen and Hader definitely take some risks in this short 8 episode series, but they pay off more often than they don't. I can only think of one episode I didn't particularly care for and even then there were enough absurd moments to keep me engaged through the entire episode.
Even if documentaries or laughing aren't your things, I implore you to at least give the first episode a shot. If you don't like it, well, there's no accounting for bad taste, I guess.