It's sort of weird to criticize a movie about criticism of the arts, such as this documentary, but the act of writing this review emphasizes our right to do so in a free society. My personal opinion about why criticism on the internet about movies and art became so popular is to either warn potential movie-goers or music fans about a particularly tasteless or unoriginal movie, actor, musician, or other artist
or to gain notoriety and fans of their reviews and taste, to be the one that others can turn to for the closest representation of their own feelings and taste.
In this documentary, comedian and actor Jamie Kennedy explores how criticism of his onstage, comedic works have transcended into an internet frenzy of opinions and reviews without censorship or, at times, deeper thought. He goes directly to the source of internet-hate and loathing for his works, calling out bloggers face-to-face who are trying to gain their own reputation for scathing, no-nonsense reviews. He explores old clips of comedians handling hecklers in creative and not- so-creative (and sometimes racist) ways, as well as interviews with other public figures such as dancers, musicians, and even sports stars.
I think Jamie did a great job by including such a broad stance on the arts and what criticism means to the artists involved. Ultimately, it's best to never Google yourself or remind yourself as an artist that even bad publicity is good publicity. As long as your name is out amongst other well-known names in any way, people will try and form an opinion about someone they keep hearing about, which means they will look you up on YouTube or somewhere else on the internet to find out what your art is really about.
But it's a natural reaction to dislike and try to convey your feelings about things you consumed and were not happy with to others. Jamie can never change this. If I bought a pair of $300 sneakers and found out afterwards how bad they made my feet feel, I'm going to review them and warn others, "Hey, don't buy these shoes. Here is my opinion " That's what EVERYONE should be doing: tell other human beings how your experience was and make your voice heard. Comedians should work on a tighter set if they're getting blasted by randoms in the crowd night after night, never giving them a chance.
So in the end, I felt that this was more a movie about Jamie Kennedy's maturing process as an actor/comedian amongst other actor/comedians and how he deals with the inescapable criticisms he faces by choosing to act or perform a specific way. It happens to all of us in some way in our lives, but we learn to get over it, which I think he did by the end.
In this documentary, comedian and actor Jamie Kennedy explores how criticism of his onstage, comedic works have transcended into an internet frenzy of opinions and reviews without censorship or, at times, deeper thought. He goes directly to the source of internet-hate and loathing for his works, calling out bloggers face-to-face who are trying to gain their own reputation for scathing, no-nonsense reviews. He explores old clips of comedians handling hecklers in creative and not- so-creative (and sometimes racist) ways, as well as interviews with other public figures such as dancers, musicians, and even sports stars.
I think Jamie did a great job by including such a broad stance on the arts and what criticism means to the artists involved. Ultimately, it's best to never Google yourself or remind yourself as an artist that even bad publicity is good publicity. As long as your name is out amongst other well-known names in any way, people will try and form an opinion about someone they keep hearing about, which means they will look you up on YouTube or somewhere else on the internet to find out what your art is really about.
But it's a natural reaction to dislike and try to convey your feelings about things you consumed and were not happy with to others. Jamie can never change this. If I bought a pair of $300 sneakers and found out afterwards how bad they made my feet feel, I'm going to review them and warn others, "Hey, don't buy these shoes. Here is my opinion " That's what EVERYONE should be doing: tell other human beings how your experience was and make your voice heard. Comedians should work on a tighter set if they're getting blasted by randoms in the crowd night after night, never giving them a chance.
So in the end, I felt that this was more a movie about Jamie Kennedy's maturing process as an actor/comedian amongst other actor/comedians and how he deals with the inescapable criticisms he faces by choosing to act or perform a specific way. It happens to all of us in some way in our lives, but we learn to get over it, which I think he did by the end.