Austin Film Festival: ‘Good Fortune’ Is One Bad Documentary (FILM REVIEW)

[rating=1.00]

Okay, before I get into any details, I’d like to clarify that I agree with just about everything that John Paul Dejoria believes in. His commitment to fair wages, alternative energy, and general philanthropy is absolutely commendable.

That, however, does not make Good Fortune a worthwhile documentary.

In fact, even calling it a documentary is misleading, as Good Fortune is nothing more than an 85-minute promotional video for Dejoria’s brand. Narrated by Dan Aykroyd, it highlights all the major points of Dejoria’s life, put together with such enthusiastic zeal that by the time the credits were rolling I expected someone was going to come out and pitch me on some kind of eco-friendly timeshare.

The film itself starts off with an extended clip from Shark Tank, where a man is pitching a water-saving method to irrigate plants, but his price point is too low. As other investors turn their back, Dejoria, stunned at how his colleagues are reacting, buys into the company. It’s meant to be both inspirational and a window into Dejoria’s unlimited selflessness, and his commitment to do good in the world.

I’m sure it was at least some those things… when it was an episode of Shark Tank,. Narratively it’s an extended clip aggregated from network TV that completely derails any narrative sensibility within the documentary itself. Which isn’t really a documentary, but a thinly-veiled promotional film.

The story hits all the predictable beats. His childhood. His periodic bouts with homelessness. How he and his partner started Paul Mitchell. His ranch out in Hawaii. How he came to launch Patron Tequila. His love of motorcycles. It doesn’t, however, follow through with most of them. That would require some kind of narrative sensibility, which would’ve placed it solely in the documentary genre, and not an 85-minute commercial promoting Dejoria’s #brand.

What’s worse, is proves that it really doesn’t have anything to say beyond the fact that Dejoria is a great guy who’s done all sorts of great stuff. And while it’s pure verisimilitude, it’s absent any narrative form, any sort of traditional structure, or anything that would resemble some semblance of storytelling.

It got even weirder during the Q&A session afterwards, which was attended by Dejoria, who asked everyone for two or three words to describe what they “got” out of the film, which made everything feel even more like some kind of bizarre marketing experience.

Nonetheless, people filed in lines behind the two microphones placed in the aisles. Most sang their praises. Some cried. None stuck to the word limit. Though, to be fair, there were a few that Dejoria promised to call later on and talk to about their issue, and would then send his assistant through the crowd to get their contact information.

And, in the days since this happened, I’m certain he called each and every one of them, and probably offered them sincere, considered advice, because John Paul Dejoria is, inarguably, a stellar example of a human being. But an 85-minute sizzle real on his amazingness is just not enough to warrant this being considered a true documentary. In the words of Homer Simpson, “it’s just a bunch of stuff that happened.”

Related Content

One Response

  1. Man,
    If you have this documentary plz upload this
    because i want to watch this..
    I need this
    Plz upload this on a drive
    and give me the link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter