Trainwreck: Balloon Boy

My rating is based on the fact that while well produced, the father is an awful individual and difficult to watch. I also found this not quite up to the same calibre as other trainwreck instalments so I'm a bit disappointed, poop cruise is a tough act to follow.

I'm not sure if the family thought doing this show would change public opinion of them. The father is thoroughly unlikeable, and if he wasn't 'acting' then his so-called genuine reaction ('I was PISSED') and behaviour towards his wife is abusive and extremely worrying. He certainly appears as a narcissist, a liar and a bully and this doco leaves me believing nothing that comes from his mouth. Mayumi blink twice if you need help.

The interviews with the family throughout were not useful in any way. They talked about this as if we already didn't know they were all bs artists. They were still sticking to the story that this was all true. It was bad and I am dumber for having watched it. One of the kids just swears constantly just to hear himself swear. The mother saying she didn't know what the word "hoax" meant just put this over the top. That her "confession" wasn't really a confession because the officers confused her. It was all silly. The conversations with the police and neighbors brought some information to the documentary. But that was about it.

I like the Trainwreck series. It's kinda cheesy but fun to watch. But this... this is a disaster.

I'm sorry, but I won't buy it. It's clear every second of this is a script the father has concocted, forcing every family member to act. Absolutely bad acting, to boot. It's a terrible way to garner attention, and everyone noticed it, and they didn't give them the attention they wanted. But then years later, Netflix comes around and says, "Here's the attention you ordered." It's a huge disappointment that Netflix would give something like this a run for its money.

I feel bad for the kids, Richard and his wife are showing us what bad parenting is, moment by moment. And the man shamelessly acts like the victim, oh my God, how is such shamelessness possible?

Richard Heene alerts the authorities that his son, Falcon, has climbed into a homemade UFO balloon. The giant silver, helium-filled structure flies off at a pace; it becomes a major news story. The balloon is tracked by the authorities, officials, and seemingly most of America.

This was such a bizarrely entertaining documentary, one of those where you almost watch in horror, but not for the reasons you may be thinking. Someone please explain to me why and how so many people were taken in by the story.

There was a lot of fascinating footage, including the initial lift off scene.

I thought Richard Heene was wonderfully charismatic and entertaining, but there was no way on earth he didn't know that Falcon was not in the balloon.

Richard definitely had a desire to grab a little bit of fame; why else would he have appeared on Wife Swap? His behavior on that show was designed to get himself noticed, no other reason. That moment where Falcon told the cameras that it was all a game was so revealing.

Did anyone truly think that Falcon was in that balloon? Genuinely? Let's be honest, this could only have happened in America.

7/10.

Yes, yes, Richard we were entertained. However, everyone knows you lied and that the whole family was in on it. Think its about time to give up the ghost. Kind of crazy how this one little stunt affected the way the entire family acts. There's a certain greasiness about all the kids now, sort of slimy attitudes you can't really trust due to this ingrained behavior brought about by this story their father told them they had to always stick to no matter what. They all sort of have that Wolfpack vibe now too, arrested development type thing. No surprise at the end that they are live in this gated compound now, afraid of the world. Hopefully that pardon makes them all less paranoid. I will give props to the wife though. That man found a woman that will stick with him through all of his crazy antics. Got to appreciate that I guess, he's found himself a real one. Also thanks to Netflix for not dragging this one out too long.