I feel I must preface this by saying I was never a fan of the Lisa Frank brand-it always felt too 'forced happiness' to me; but I will say, my little sister loved it. The bright colors, the big doe-like eyes on everything, the forced-down-your-throat rainbows were just a lot.
Which is ironic, because it's exactly how this 4-part documentary feels, too. It is a lot to stomach, and definitely defies belief. Most of the stories told by employees feel authentic, Rhonda and James feel cartoonish in their appearances. But these employees are largely no better. If they were hoping to be portrayed in a more sympathetic light, maybe they should have a more sympathetic story to tell.
Being in a career that barely pays minimum wage, just so you can say you're an 'artist' defies logic. It's akin to holding a career in the adult film industry just to say you're an 'actor'; the only difference is, those in adult films are generally paid incredibly well.
There's myriad examples of insanity, but one example that really stands out is a grown adult with bangs (no sis, just no) who loudly proclaims that 'all wealthy adults partook in 'illicit activities' and even if she was serious, it sounds very contrived and forced.
I could almost feel a good amount of empathy for the employees had they been hired at demonstrably higher wages, and then had a rug pull that landed them at 8.00/hr working 12 hour days, but that was not the case. One employee went from a salaried position of 12.5K yearly to 8.25/hr, and I believe the hourly rate puts him miles ahead, with both examples being enough that a sane person would have rather worked fast food 60 hours a week, but apparently being considered a literal starving artist made it a viable career. I do feel badly for people trying to raise families on this paltry salary, however, the moment it's apparent there's nothing changing, it's time to flee and find haven in another job. We're talking about Tucson in the 80s-90s, not exactly a ghost town with no other options, at a time when the economy was thriving.
All that being said, James being the CEO makes all the sense in the world; the head of a cartoonish, flamboyant company is the embodiment of the brand. The mission statement should have been enough to tell you this is not your job. Upon reading this debacle you didn't feel an urge to purge, Rhonda and her antics should have been the impetus for an hasty exit. I don't know if it was her being a female that made her believe being a garbage person was her claim to fame, or the result of working in a miserable environment that eventually exacerbated her persona, but either way, she should have endured multiple.lawsuits, not continued employment. I get the distinct impression that Green was using Frank for a few things- a meal ticket, a beard, and a step stool. I don't really care how little you wanted to have children or how old they are at the time- admitting it was something/someone you did not want or wish to pursue is something you squash deep down to places you don't acknowledge. Ever.
The employees seem intent on creating some sort of cartoonish work environment that anyone with the slightest sense would have walked away from immediately, and given the pure hell they supposedly endured, one has to question the veracity of truthfulness, because I cannot imagine staying.
My review, much like this series could have easily been condensed into a much smaller version, but for some reason, we're forced to hear the same things on repeat as often as humanly possible. Too long, too repetitive and too boring.
