A Mockumentry is a very tough ‘nut to crack.’ Sometimes it comes off flawlessly; a great example of that would be The Rutles, which is a gloriously irreverent look at the music world. Sometimes though it just falls flat on its face, and that alas is what happens with Idol. The concept behind Idol is a wonderful one: a gay ‘out of work’ actor who ekes out an existence by dressing up in a carrot suit to amuse children at birthday parties is transformed into a superhero for a TV series. Who could not love this idea? The possibilities for humor are almost endless.
However this truly gifted idea is transformed into a poor You-Tube type home video. Combining some horrible casting, horrible dialog, horrible direction, and an even worse soundtrack, Idol turns this all into a very unsatisfying movie event. Someone should be taken out back and beaten senseless for the soundtrack alone. Even a low budget movie should have been able to afford to rent more than one microphone. Many of the scenes require dexterous use of the remote control, one actor will be rattling the windows with their voice, while the other is little more than a whisper.
I am not homophobic, but I must admit that having what appears to be an entirely gay cast does not help Idol score many points. Gay can be funny, but like every other lifestyle it needs to be done in moderation. And moderation is not a word in this movies vocabulary.
It is not often that I write a negative review about anything. I can usually find some redeeming feature, however Idol has none. If you see this movie in your local Video Rental store and have the urge to rent it, get one of the assistants to hit you over the head with something heavy!
You might have noticed that nowhere in this review do I name the actors involved, or the director. I think they are all better off this way. Everyone involved in this project is better off staying below the radar!
Simon and Jan give this one a solid two thumbs down.
Article comments
1 - Steve C.
...I must admit that having what appears to be an entirely gay cast does not help Idol score many points.
Um, not to point out what should be patently obvious, but isn't this like complaining that Tyler Perry movies are too black or God's Army is too Mormon?