“Adrian Grenier gets it. He’s famous for playing a famous guy, a fictional movie star named Vincent Chase on the series Entourage. In the documentary Teenage Paparazzo, directed by Grenier, he begins by following a 12-year-old paparazzi photographer named Austin Visschedyk. The film unexpectedly becomes a clear-eyed investigation of the fame apparatus as Visschedyk becomes a mini-celebrity in his own right, in part because of his association with Grenier.
"As a filmmaker, Grenier talks to various intellectuals – an anthropologist, a media theorist and a film historian – as well as such celebrities as Matt Damon, Rosie O’Donnell, Eva Longoria Parker, Lindsay Lohan and comedian Lewis Black, and visits the offices of a glossy supermarket tabloid magazine. He even goes on a staged date with Paris Hilton to see how it gets reported in the press… Grenier understands the distinction between who he is and who he plays on TV and uses the slippage between the two to wedge himself into the cracks of the machinery of fame and the media.” (New Zealand International Film Festival)
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
**CONTAINS SPOILERS** Adrien Grenier is an actor who is famous for playing an actor. His character Vincent Chase is the lead role in television hit series Entourage. The show follows Vinnie Chase and his entourage of buddies as they ride the rollercoaster ride of fame and success in Hollywood, cutting incredibly close to the bone. Real celebrities play parodies of themselves or actual people in the business, including studio heads and agents. What makes Grenier’s life so unique, is that his on-screen life essentially parodies his own life. This puts him in the perfect position to look at the peculiar world of Hollywood and examine just what drives people to be part of the culture and industry of celebrity worship in America. Key to the whole burgeoning religion are the paparazzi - the ubiquitous packs of photographers that shadow the celebrity’s every move, ambushing them with high power camera flashes and telephoto lenses to get the shots that can sell for thousands and sometimes tens of thousands to pulp magazines around the world. Grenier’s world then, is one where reality and fantasy collide; in many ways, representing the ultimate American dream - not only is he in the movies, but essentially he is living a movie. It is vital to watching this film that you understand this, as the context of Grenier himself trying to understand what drives this all is a key part of the narrative structure. This is not so much a documentary as a personal journal with narrative structure. In TEENAGE PAPPARAZZO, Grenier introduces us to Austin Visschedyk, a 12yr old kid he encounters one night amongst the paparazzi pack. Grenier's initial shock that such a young kid is out late at night 'papping' turns into a fascination with what drives him to do it, and so he begins the documentary project to see if he can get to the bottom of the hold that celebrity has on him. The resulting work shows both sides of the story, examining the relationship between the pap trophy hunters and their elusive quarry, the celebrities of tinsel town. It makes for great viewing. As a film maker, Grenier is still finding his feet, but shows a true knack for ironic, dry humour, obvious in some of the completely spontaneous footage that occurs to back up the points being made. A hilarious example of this is when Grenier is sitting in a baseball stadium discussing crowd mentality with a sociologist, while all the while the cameras are picking him out of the crowd for the big screen and commentators are talking about him, completely oblivious that they are reinforcing the points the academic is making. Facepalm central. Its great stuff. Another key aspect of the work is the personal interaction of Grenier with his subject, even going so far to get a camera and start 'papping ' other celebrities, even some of his own friends. His presence is not as a fly on the wall but as a fully immersed participant - his presence and actions and the creation of the work directly influence the outcome, turning what could be a by-the-numbers 'fair look at both sides' doco into an 'oh noooooo... I think this might end up baaaaad' one, as the teenage pap himself attracts increasing attention fame for his association with Grenier. The absolute classic moment occurs when, in outtake footage from an interview with an expert, the expert turns to Grenier off-camera and asks him "Did you even think about what affect this thing would have on the kid? Did you think about what impact crossing over these lines would have on him?" The resulting answer is honest and hilarious. Overall, this film has laughter, poignancy and gives a lighter, realistic and honest depiction of the relationship between paparazzi and celebrities, as well as an interesting metaphor for the effect it will have on coming generations, played out through Austin. If you loved entourage you must see this, but even if unfamiliar with Grenier's reason for fame, you will get a kick out of this rare gonzo material on the reality of Hollywood. The only real place it falls down is that while we get to see the experience of the cute, young, well-provided-for Austin, Grenier fails to delve at all into the reality of the veteran paps, the subculture of the hooded, tight-lipped stalkers and their lives, relationships or other. Therefore while the film leaves you most definitely more informed about what these people do and why, including the social, cultural and financial reasons, it leaves us none the wiser on the real cost or consequences of the industry of celebrity, robbing the work of truly great doco status. A great watch for anyone who has every bought (or wondered why people buy) trashy magazines, or dreamed they were a movie star.
Teenage Paparazzo is an insider's view of the ultimate insider's town.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Friday, 1st Jan 2010.
Release date: January 1st 2010.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
