The Pez Outlaw

This is a fantastic documentary from beginning to end. Not only is it a compelling story, but heartwarming as well, and the visuals were absolutely terrific. Watching Steve concoct his plan, and then seeing him have the gumption to enact it, was a blast. He was a normal, everyday guy, and he turned himself into the lead character in his very own spy novel, just to figure out a way to make ends meet, and feed his family. This is a true gem of a movie, and I'm so glad the filmmakers brought us into this world of hilarious drama, with a touch of nostalgia, and Steve's very own brand of espionage (pezpionage?). Sit back and enjoy.

This is one of those rare documentaries that would actually be better told as a fictional movie than a documentary. It's the story of Steve Glew who made millions of dollars smuggling Pez dispensers into the United States. Steve's story is interesting because he grew up very poor, and he discovered something which would ultimately make him wealthy, but then he got bored with doing that, and he wanted to be more creative, and then he crossed a line which he was unable to come back from. Also interesting is how Steve's nemesis is presented as this arrogant villain, but in actual fact everything that Steve was doing was technically illegal. So you feel kind of bad for him because he seems to be a sweet, good-natured individual, but on the other hand it was a completely predictable failure. So an interesting watch.

Love Pez who didn't when you was a kid but had no idea about this story. What a light hearted very entertaining re-production of this warming tale that not only stroked the chords for a plan of a master outlaw but also the importance of family at the end of it all.

The main character Steve is a quirky kook who is worth the documentary on its own. The angle of the documentary shows just how simple it was many moons ago to arbitrage the supply chain of global markets. Similar things happen today on such a smaller time scale online but back in the Wild West (in this case Eastern Europe to America) these opportunities, and greed of man would stay open a lot longer !

Sweet to the core, had to share the review just to express how much I rather enjoyed it.

This was an interesting, well-made, and entertaining documentary. My Dad was actually a collector of Pez, had all of the pre-internet pricing guides and I remember helping him look up many Pez to find out which colors were rare and worth money. This was fascinating to see an insider look at how crazy Pez collectors can get but Steve is a gem.

SIFF 2022 Watch #1.

Great story and film. Historical scenes were well recreated and interviews were incisive. A lot of depth was developed among the main character. Very fun to see the main character playing himself. Film, however, was a bit long.