I have watched The Artist is Present and it was beautiful. Having said that, this isn't so much a parody of that film as it is a different song set to the same tune, and in that respect it's sweet, hilarious, and perfect. The art pieces range from absurd to nearly as thoughtful as those in the original film this episode uses as inspiration. One should watch it entirely as well before committing to an opinion because the end may be one of Documentary Now!'s best endings to date (and that's set among some very strong contenders.) This series is a treasure.
7 Reviews
From one Hungarian to another...
louiepapp3 September 2020
My parents are Hungarian and I grew up around Hungarians. Hungarian accents in movies/shows never are close. Sometimes they are completely unrecognizable, like Kevin Pollak in "The Whole 9 Yards". Cate Blanchettes was awesome. I totally smiled when she said gas(gaz) correctly. Although everyone else mis-pronounced Budapest (Buda-pesht) which usually only happens if you have never been there. Also she talks about living in communist Hungary but they do not explain how she was able to do her art let alone how she escaped to travel all around Europe before the fall of the iron curtain. Still 9 points for nailing the accent and the ending.
Master class in satire
tylerpurrden-783-36561420 July 2021
I thought I really liked this show but then this episode shows up; it's now one of my favorite episodes, of any show, ever. I loved Cate Blanchett before but now she's pretty much my favorite actress of all time (I adore how she got a shout out in these reviews from an actual Hungarian)!
Bullseye Parody!
loren-hess-638-87647924 April 2020
No amount of vapid bloviation from other reviewers of this episode should top you from seeing it. Brilliant! It's PARAODY! And it is parody well done; skewering the idea that sitting in a chair or on a toilet is "art."
Lighten Up
glizze115 December 2022
First of all Cate Blanchett, as always is perfect. I've seen the original documentary and I've seen this. I was able to enjoy the documentary and still find this funny. Those that take themselves too seriously will give this one star and say how terrible and and disrespectful this is to the real artist. This is not true. It's called a sense of humor, it's called satire, and there are four seasons of this show because apparently many people find it funny.
If you don't understand satire then of course you will think this is disrespectful to the real artist but it's not. This episode is poking fun at all kinds of different artists that are all weird in their own way. Just like Spinal Tap basically satires all hard rock bands. It's the same thing. Ever seen SNL? Same thing. So if you have deep feelings for the real artist and/or cannot take a joke, I would suggest that you skip this episode.
If you don't understand satire then of course you will think this is disrespectful to the real artist but it's not. This episode is poking fun at all kinds of different artists that are all weird in their own way. Just like Spinal Tap basically satires all hard rock bands. It's the same thing. Ever seen SNL? Same thing. So if you have deep feelings for the real artist and/or cannot take a joke, I would suggest that you skip this episode.
As an art student this is so relatable
celiahillyard19 April 2023
This is so spot on for any one that whent to art school. Having to 'move' round my floor to ceiling art peice that I'm forever embarrassed about but seeing other students take it incredibly seriously i just found this Hilarious.
If you have ever been to art school with pompous people this for you.
I'm not saying there are not great people in performance art because there are but sometimes it's just stupid. Like setting fire to a whole art exhibition.
Definitely a must watch for judgmental person of the art world or just find it ridiculous even though I'm an artist myself this is so funny xx.
If you have ever been to art school with pompous people this for you.
I'm not saying there are not great people in performance art because there are but sometimes it's just stupid. Like setting fire to a whole art exhibition.
Definitely a must watch for judgmental person of the art world or just find it ridiculous even though I'm an artist myself this is so funny xx.
Of all the commercial shlock out there they pick this to ridicule?
maxrottersman27 August 2019
If you saw The Artist is Present, as I did, you're not going to find this satire remotely funny. Indeed, I complained so much my daughter turned it off after 10 minutes. My daughter is an artist and said it wasn't a big deal. I said, "have you see the documentary?" She said 'no.' I told her, watch the documentary and then come back and tell me this isn't mean-spirited and not funny--AT ALL.
The original documentary is about how an artist connects to others. How any of us connect to each other. If you think that''s pretentious, or stupid, okay. I didn't, for "The Artist is Present". Even though I DO find most performance art pretentious and stupid. Indeed, I watched Artist is Present expecting for it to confirm my general dislike of performance art!
What really riles me up is I often recommend "The Artist is Present" but if someone sees this first they'll never watch it. Worse, they'll believe they know what it's about. A good satirist deep down, loves their subject. These people don't love art. All the humor is dumping on Marina Abramovic.
Again, these guys could have made fun of Taylor Swift or the Kashians. Why they'd ridicule real artists is...well..of course, Fred Armisen is no real artist. After seeing this I believe Kate Moss must have nailed it, "'He's so great at doing impersonations. But the greatest impersonation he does is that of a normal person."
If you haven't seen The Artist is Present, PLEASE WATCH IT FIRST! Don't let this piece of low-life humor ruin it for you.
Art means something. It means something to me. I have nothing against artists making fun of other artists--when the deep respect is there. It isn't.
Again, watch The Artist is Present. Please watch with an open mind. It's one of the best art documentaries I have ever seen. I knew absolutely nothing about Marina Abramovic before I watched it. Nothing.
The original documentary is about how an artist connects to others. How any of us connect to each other. If you think that''s pretentious, or stupid, okay. I didn't, for "The Artist is Present". Even though I DO find most performance art pretentious and stupid. Indeed, I watched Artist is Present expecting for it to confirm my general dislike of performance art!
What really riles me up is I often recommend "The Artist is Present" but if someone sees this first they'll never watch it. Worse, they'll believe they know what it's about. A good satirist deep down, loves their subject. These people don't love art. All the humor is dumping on Marina Abramovic.
Again, these guys could have made fun of Taylor Swift or the Kashians. Why they'd ridicule real artists is...well..of course, Fred Armisen is no real artist. After seeing this I believe Kate Moss must have nailed it, "'He's so great at doing impersonations. But the greatest impersonation he does is that of a normal person."
If you haven't seen The Artist is Present, PLEASE WATCH IT FIRST! Don't let this piece of low-life humor ruin it for you.
Art means something. It means something to me. I have nothing against artists making fun of other artists--when the deep respect is there. It isn't.
Again, watch The Artist is Present. Please watch with an open mind. It's one of the best art documentaries I have ever seen. I knew absolutely nothing about Marina Abramovic before I watched it. Nothing.
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