Published via Ecency

(source: tmdb.org)

To an inexperienced cinephile mockumentaries look like the easiest film to make. Making good mockumentaries is another matter and good example could be found in Where’s Marlowe?, 1998 film directed by Daniel Pyne. Plot begins with two aspiring film makers – Wilt Crowley (played by Mos Def) and A. J. Edison (played by John Livingston) – whose latest documentary about New York waterways didn’t make much impression on festival critics. In a desperate search for another, more interesting, subject to cover in their next film, two of them choose life a private detective in Southern California. They approach private detective John Boone (played by Miguel Ferrer) and ask his permision to capture his everyday life on camera. Boone, whose work consists of rather banal cases involving adultery, missing children and pets, agrees, while his partner Murphy (played by Dante Beze) is less enthusiastic. Soon afterwards seemingly routine case turns into something more when Murphy disappears. This is not only new challenge for Boone, but also for two film makers who, by taking part in investigation, compromise their objectivity necessary for their documentary to remain “pure”.

Although it looks like low budget independent film at first glance, Where’s Marlowe? is actually project of Hollywood mainstream. Screeenwriter who co-wrote the script with Daniel Pyne is John Mankiewicz, member of distinguished Mankiewicz family, nowadays best known for his work on television that includes Bosch. At times film actually looks like a pilot episode for television show that was never made. Reason for that can be found in quality of humour that varies too much, as well as structural issues. Pyne and Mankiewicz wants to spoof both the world of pretentious documentary cinema and hard-boiled detective fiction and at times can’t decide what to put emphasis on. That creates problems when the characters and events begin to look more like a Hollywood film than reality, thus compromising whole concept of “mockumentary”. On the other hand, Miguel Ferrer, one of the greatest and most underrated character actors of his generation, shines in one of his rare starring roles. The rest of cast is forgettable, with possible exception of Miguel Sandoval who plays violent man from the neighbourhood. Although it had an interesting idea and was actually very close to reaching satisfactory level, Where’s Marlowe? is a disappointment.

RATING: 4/10 (++)