Ren Faire

While this docu-drama is specific to this particular renaissance fair, I found Ren Faire to be fascinating, interesting, and thought provoking.

As for the first episode, the cinematography is incredible, and the director's ability to film the festival, its audience, its family of workers, and then the main storyline of succession with George, Jeff, and Louie is balanced and well-done. George and this Ren Faire are intertwined as it is George who created this particular fair and continues to rule.

After watching the first episode, I plan on going to one of these fairs because it is a world that seems, at least in this film, to be so inviting to everyone.

I feel deranged. I feel like we've just seen those segments of the Bible where it's just one person's story that wasn't witnessed by anyone else, suddenly before our eyes. And now we know how they kept all the tea underwraps: long live the king.

Louie and Darla maintained a composure far above and beyond what was known among the TRFamily. Fairetriarchs who garnered natural respect and love from those around them we're doing so much more than we ever knew. And now we know. Now everyone knows. And as someone in our FB group has already said: This year ain't gonna be cheap. George knows what this will do for the Faire.

Lift up thy pocketbooks, I guess.

This documentary was absolutely amazing. While it centers around a Renaissance fair, it's actually a deeper exploration of how businesses, corporations, and the world are currently being run. If you haven't seen this series, I highly encourage you to watch it. Then take a hard look at the outdated, expired individuals running the world today and compare the two.

This documentary is a wake-up call. As someone who personally knows an individual like George Coulam, I can tell you Lance Oppenheim framed him perfectly. From an outsider's perspective, George's legacy seems structurally sound, and he could even be seen as a hero. But all it takes is one dinner with him at Olive Garden to realize he's the villain, and his legacy will crumble like a house of cards.

I was worried this was going to be a "mockumentary" of Renaissance faires but it wasn't that, but maybe a bit so for some of the characters. That being said from the perspective of a woman who has been a long time patron of Renaissance Faires, this was so cringey but yet I watched the entire thing.. idk why honestly, I was hoping to feel some of the magic ✨ that I feel when I attend a renaissance festival- I think because the documentary was well done, I didn't feel like it was the waste of time that it probably was.

I was looking forward to seeing that juxtaposition of real life versus Ren Faire fantasy (cue the Red Bull can pouring into the chalice), but that aspect really fell flat for me. It was mostly the story of the creepy old senile narcissist "king," and who will take over next. I could not get over how horrible he was and felt terrible for everyone who had to work for him. Overall 5/10 a somewhat waste of time for me but gained an interesting perspective!

Not sure if the film makers are trying to paint a sympathetic portrait of a delusional megalomaniacal d-bag manchild or catering to whatever purse strings that funded it, but it's nothing more than a student film filled with fluffery and proselytizing by those seeking to gain some huge benefit by their dishonesty. I knew George for nigh on ten years and he's a creep, and I guess that's apparent, but nowhere is the mention of his child brides.

More importantly, nowhere is the mention of Toon Town, where a number of participants live, some of them year round. I realize this is a focus on the owner, but his multi-million dollar business would be nothing without all the little people who make it work. But they're just peasants, so who cares? Either they weren't asked or wisely declined to be part of this boring, pointless stroking of egos debacle.

And from the film's eventuality, one has to wonder if the entire thing wasn't a scam to push publicity and/or manipulate the players. There's an ironic phrase amongst people who work there who have realistic expectations about what the faires are like concerning the people who pathetically think of it as real life: living the dream. This film has the same pathos.