WHY DO THEY GIVE THESE PEOPLE MONEY?

Another cheezeball moment of "truth." The type of fiction that would never be given a shot had it not been tagged "Documentary" or "Creative Non-Fiction." Again, for those who missed it, there is no such thing as creative non-fiction. It's fiction, and it's most often terrible fiction. Idiots.

"Cast a wary eye on the authenticity of "Unknown White Male." Cinema can frame the world around us as if we were viewing it for the first time, but "Unknown White Male"'s hackneyed montage sequences--a fumbled juxtaposition of Doug recording his "first" experiences of snow and a fireworks display, a Final Cut Pro-induced disaster in which Doug's reencounter with world history is presented as a short blast of archival footage--unforgivably fail to impart the wonder of seeing anew. Disappointing, because once the issues concerning identity and the difficulties Doug's friends and family have coming to terms with his rebooted self wash away due to Murray's less than penetrating documentary skills, we're left with lazy shots of hands pouring through sand, silhouettes wandering across sunsets, all the standbys of picture postcard, "living life to its fullest" tableaux. But maybe such images appropriately compliment this strangely unaffecting tale: considering Bruce's satisfied insulation, his metamorphosis from cocky bore to reflective soul comes off less like a genuine reawakening than the yuppie fantasy of "Regarding Henry."
-From IndieWire 02-22-06