Review of Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997) by Josh G — 21 Oct 2008

Documentaries, by their very nature, are biased. The clips that are used in what order, the lighting, the angles -- every little thing gives the viewer some sort of impression about the subject. It's impossible to simply document real life without putting some kind of spin on it. Likewise, the viewer will walk into the movie with expectations. Documentaries can never be strictly objective.

With Fast, Cheap, & Out of Control, Errol Morris recognizes this fact and relishes it. The point of the documentary is not to be detached from the subjects -- the idea is to be immersed in their world, to seriously think about their words and connect it to other ideas. The movie is less about coming to an ultimate conclusion than it is about just being a thought exercise. What could a topiary gardener, a robotics technician, a lion-tamer, and an expert on the naked mole-rat have in common? And what could their experiences, combined, mean in relation to life and/or death? And what is art? The movie tackles every single one of these questions, but never admits to it.

All four of the subjects are eccentric in their own way, but their oddities are grounded in this love for what they are doing, which Morris extends to mean a love for living. That zest for life and beauty is apparent throughout the film, due to incredible cinematography full of strange camera angles, bold colors, and drawn parallels. It's hard not to smile throughout the film.

And like any good movie, it becomes more than just something to watch. It's something that totally engages you. Every sentence has you contemplating its deeper meaning. As The Onion's AV Club pointed out, Mendonca's observation that he will "take care of [the garden] until he dies", but that he "doesn't know what will happen after that" seems so simple and yet becomes one of the most penetrating observations in the entire film.

Fast, Cheap, & Out of Control is the first Errol Morris doc that I've seen. I'm sincerely excited about seeing more. This is a great film and a spectacular documentary.

Edit: I am changing my review from 4 1/2 stars to 5 stars. After seeing Fast, Cheap & Out of Control for a second time, I am still blown away by just how the film gets you to think about the deeper meaning to every line, due in no small part to Morris' expert sense for editing together seemingly disparate moments in order to form lush, penetrating metaphors about mortality, autonomy, and practically any other subject you can imagine. This is absolutely the finest documentary I have seen, and -- what's more -- as wonderfully entertaining and engaging a film as any genre could produce. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control is a masterpiece.