Review of Catfish (2010) by Skyview B — 12 Feb 2013

I immediately fell in love with the TV show, now the movie. Catfish: The Movie is about a guy named Nev Schulman and his mysterious journey with another family on the biggest social networking site, Facebook. Yaniv, nicknamed Nev, has a very eccentric relationship with a family that lives in Michigan. The daughter Abby is a painter and Nev orders her paintings non-stop. Abby's mom, Angela also has a Facebook account and keeps in touch with him. The really strange part about this is that Nev has a special relationship with Megan, another one of Angela's daughters. They have been talking back and fourth for about eight months. Things really start to get more intense when Nev realizes that this "family" has been lying to him. It all goes downhill from there, or so you may think. For those people who enjoy online dating and wish to someday meet the love of their lives, you might want to think again because for all they know, their whole entire profile could be a lie. Catfish teaches the lesson that not all people are who they seem, and once they get caught in the act, the truth comes pouring out.

Overall, I knew what this movie was about, but I didn't really know what the deeper details were about. In a million years, I never would have thought about making a movie about the truths of online dating, so I would definitely say that this movie is original. Not predictable at all, except you already knew from the beginning that Megan's profile was a complete fake. My eyes couldn't leave the screen once Nev found out that this whole thing was a lie. It gets even more better when Nev and his camera crew take a trip to visit the family to get the real deal. To me this story is like one of those undercover cop shows, but not as violent. It's just very important that you tell the truth from the beginning because everything will be a big jumble in the end.

Catfish tells a unique and creative story mostly to entertain. I, though, believe that there is more to it. Obviously if you are one of those people whose guilty pleasure is online dating, then you may want to watch this documentary. The true theme behind this story is to tell the truth. Always! Nev's relationship with Megan has gone on for too long and I'm pretty sure that he was extremely disappointed when he found out that she wasn't even real. This whole time he's been talking to a mom with two autistic children, and Abby, who doesn't even paint. So basically, Nev has had this fake relationship with someone who is already married. Once Angela told the whole story about this fake life, she seemed pretty embarrassed. It never hurts to tell the truth because that will save you a life time of explanations that you wont have to tell later. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones where the camera crew used b-roll. To incorporate the "on-line" theme into the movie, they included things like up close shots of the people Nev has been talking to, and they have little maps of where they travel to. I give two thumbs up to the crew that came up with these ideas because it looks phenomenal. There are no special effects really or any fake props, so it's all pure. One of my favorite parts in this movie was when the crew got an interview with Vince, Angela's husband, and he explains what catfish are relating to people. I'm guessing that that's where they got the title, but in that scene, there was a big lesson that was taught and it was one of those moments where it made so much sense.

The shots in this movie were great! Camera angles were very good as well because after all, these people probably didn't have the greatest equipment. It was one of those films where they really just followed the main character around and wanted to know more about his odd relationship. The close ups were very detailed and spot on at what the emotion of that person should be. So overall, the angles and shots were beyond my expectations and I really enjoyed that. The music was the kind of music that you have no clue who the band is or what the song is even called so I thought that was clever. Not a lot of music was really necessary and the right amount was put in. Overall, the film's visual appearance was spectacular!

All I can suggest is to go see this movie. The story behind it is what really gets you thinking. It's not only entertaining, but its in a way heart-warming. I would definitely recommend this movie to those who do date online and who are in a relationship with someone because that person could be the complete opposite of who they say they are. The main point here is to just be honest and open with another because everything is better that way. The writers and creators of this movie did a fantastic job at tugging on your emotions throughout this movie. You want to root for Nev as he tries so hard to get to the bottom of things. Things may surprise you in the end, because I was surely surprised. Catfish will make you want to laugh a lot, get scared a little, and maybe even cry. If you're a catfish, check this phenomenal film out.

-HR, 8th Grade Student.