DVD Talk Forum

DVD Talk Forum (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/)
-   Movie Talk (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk-17/)
-   -   Catfish (2010 Documentary) (https://forum.dvdtalk.com/movie-talk/579506-catfish-2010-documentary.html)

Heat 10-08-10 09:58 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
Wow! I didn't watch the documentary, but watched the ABC 20/20 show on the documentary.

Was it real? I think it started out as real, but then they became suspicious but kept playing along. I don't know.

I don't know if they mentioned this in the documentary, but
Spoiler:
the mom is schitzophrenic
.

SPiRAL 10-11-10 03:54 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
No need to see the film IMO if you saw 20/20. They pretty much gave it all away. Wish I would've waited, instead of seeing it the day before.

The Bus 10-17-10 05:04 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
Saw it, knowing "the twist" coming into it. Still enjoyed it. Might be one of the saddest movies of the last few years.

Goat3001 10-18-10 05:11 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 

Originally Posted by Groucho (Post 10412791)
"Don't spoil it for anyone...because if you do they won't want to see it!"

Which I've learned is an inherent problem with the movie and it's marketing. I tried telling a friend that she needs to see it and she saw the trailer and said she doesn't like scary movies. So I tried to tell her that it wasn't scary at all and she asked me to explain further and I couldn't, because I didn't want to ruin the twist for her

Goat3001 10-18-10 05:20 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 

Originally Posted by d2cheer (Post 10412727)
Spoiler:
So basically a sad women pretends to be someone else/several people on the internet? At least it didn't turn out to be a guy.


Maybe I am over simplifying this but that happens every day. I too was taken in by the ads thinking it was some type of cool thriller as it says don't spoil this for anyone. Looks like I will pass on it.

I don't want to tell you that you should go see it but you are over simplifying it.

Spoiler:
the twist itself you see coming a mile away. The twist is actually revealed in the second act, during a great scene where Nev starts to uncover some of Angela's lies. But what makes it different is how deep Angela's fake life really is. She had something like 17 active Facebook accounts, she went out of her way to find dozens of pictures of models and other random people and tag them as her own. She had two cell phones, one was her daughter's number and the other was hers. It was all very detailed and she seemed very unhappy with her life. She didn't have much money, she had an estranged daughter who she hadn't seen in years and she was taking care of two mentally handicapped people. That made her story sad, and not just pathetic.

FantasticVSDoom 10-24-10 08:21 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 

Originally Posted by The Bus (Post 10436143)
Saw it, knowing "the twist" coming into it. Still enjoyed it. Might be one of the saddest movies of the last few years.

Saw this today I agree... My wife said afterwards that she just felt like crying even though there wasnt a particular "event" to make her sad about it.

atlantamoi 10-29-10 06:08 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
Just saw this w/out reading any reviews because I love being totally surprised (hard to do these days). I did like it, BUT....

Spoiler:
I thought w/in 15 seconds that none of this was real. Just a fake documentary. I'm okay with that, but would be a little disappointed thinking they were trying to dupe people in marketing. I did check FB after the movie and noticed the girl who is pictured as Megan is a real person, though. I'd be surprised that anyone thought this whole thing wasn't fake from the onset.

FantasticVSDoom 10-29-10 08:02 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 

Originally Posted by atlantamoi (Post 10459652)
Just saw this w/out reading any reviews because I love being totally surprised (hard to do these days). I did like it, BUT....

Spoiler:
I thought w/in 15 seconds that none of this was real. Just a fake documentary. I'm okay with that, but would be a little disappointed thinking they were trying to dupe people in marketing. I did check FB after the movie and noticed the girl who is pictured as Megan is a real person, though. I'd be surprised that anyone thought this whole thing wasn't fake from the onset.

Well there is debate about that... I go back and forth with it, but the filmmakers insist its real so all I can do is really take their word for it.

Jackskeleton 10-29-10 08:22 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
It's hard to imagine that these internet savvy folks could buy into this whole thing for anymore than 5 minutes. I mean, seriously... with google and everything else to e-stalk, it seems like it wasn't faked, but blissfully ignorant about the matter and going along for nothing more than to act surprise by what they could have known long before.

I thought the movie just felt awkward. Like, meh, don't care. OH NOES! Someone lied on the internet!

notkevinbacon 10-29-10 08:52 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
Saw this last weekend and we came out somewhat disappointed. It did spark plenty of conversation but most of it was over the shortcomings of the film itself.

http://www.movieline.com/2010/01/doe...th-problem.php

An older article, but I agree with most of it. I also find the abrupt end to the Q&A after the "is it real?" question is somewhat suspicious.

In the end... I think there is a little bit of truth and a lotta bit of indulgence and baiting. While the filmmakers were obviously young tech savvy folks I think they are lacking some of the intelligence to put forward the material in a more thoughtful or cerebral manner. The assembly of the footage in more analytical or mature, ponderous hands could have possibly made for a really interesting dissection of Angela's life and an even more compelling documentary. I agree that the film falls flat for a bit near the end. Also felt like Vince's final talking head was forced or even scripted (though it does have that certain charm of wisdom from someone you wouldn't expect wisdom from).

Throwing Copper 11-28-10 02:13 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
It was marketed horribly.

I really enjoyed the first 50 minutes or so, but this is nothing that great.

Can't say a lot without ruining it.

It is a sad movie, and I did think about it for several days after seeing it.

B-

hdtv00 12-25-10 09:15 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
I never knew a single thing about it at all. I liked it , thought it was almost great. I don't care if it's real or not, it's good I know that much.

kenny79 12-25-10 11:34 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
Based on all the spoilers I've intentionally read, I won't be seeing this. But I'm curious -- why is it called Catfish?

lukewarmwater 12-26-10 12:10 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 

Originally Posted by kenny79 (Post 10560505)
Based on all the spoilers I've intentionally read, I won't be seeing this. But I'm curious -- why is it called Catfish?

because the main characters name is jimmy catfish

mario_c 12-26-10 12:33 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 

Originally Posted by kenny79 (Post 10560505)
Based on all the spoilers I've intentionally read, I won't be seeing this. But I'm curious -- why is it called Catfish?

The last line of the movie:
Spoiler:
something about how imported catfish would be healthy to the others because they are so lively and unusual, like the subject of the movie.

tylergfoster 12-26-10 02:44 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
The one thing I can't stand everyone saying is
Spoiler:
that it's unbelievable Nev and his friends would not Google these people. Maybe they all mean by accident, ala Googling for a news story about one of the girl's art shows or something, but I have never Googled a person in my entire life to check if they were who they said they were, and I have not started since seeing the movie. I think that's weird.

georgec 12-26-10 10:26 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
This movie was crap. The actors (yes, actors) were oozing with smugness. Regardless of whether you think it's staged or real, everything that the characters do is improbable and contrived. I thought this was a pathetic attempt at exploitation, and the wannabe filmmakers failed at that.

d2cheer 01-06-11 12:10 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
There is a good thread on this over at

http://forum.blu-ray.com/blu-ray-mov...-1-4-11-a.html

and has some good evidence to if this is true or fake.

lopper 01-06-11 02:14 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
If they'd marketed this as the piece of fiction that it is, then I definitely think I would've liked the film a whole lot more than I did.

Once I'd settled into the idea that I was not watching a documentary I really started to enjoy the movie.

mdc3000 01-06-11 11:03 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
This could have been a great short film but it really felt bloated, forced and exploitive at 90 minutes. I liked a few moments but overall it was disappointing.

SuckaMC 01-15-11 01:31 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
I didn't know much about this going into it. I liked it a lot. As the story moved forward there was a terrific sense of dread and uneasiness. Then once we see what is really going on, it's very sad.

If it was real, then Nev handled it with complete class. If it was fake, then it was a helluva detail filled movie.

Pointyskull 02-25-11 10:19 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
Watched it tonight on DVD. I had heard about this when it was out in limited theatrical release, and that there was a twist.

Spoiler:
With that in mind I was expecting this to get revealed as a "fake"documentary, perhaps via some completely outlandish climax. Instead I spent the entire film thinking it was a well-made fake, only to be surprised that it is all played off as real. I have no clue what's real or not, but if this is fake then Angela should win a Best Actress Oscar.

I liked this film - real, fake or otherwise.

calhoun07 02-26-11 11:18 AM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 

Originally Posted by SuckaMC (Post 10590779)
I didn't know much about this going into it. I liked it a lot. As the story moved forward there was a terrific sense of dread and uneasiness. Then once we see what is really going on, it's very sad.

If it was real, then Nev handled it with complete class. If it was fake, then it was a helluva detail filled movie.

I knew very little going into this as well. A friend of mine kept on telling me to watch it but refused to tell me much about it to not spoil the twist. He just said, "You will have to see it." Then they had the film makers on Carson Daly and Carson was beaming how this and Inception were his favorite films of the year and that the last 30 minutes of the movie was so incredible. Then they show that scene of dread and uneasiness that I think you're talking about, so I expected something creepy to happen there, like the girl they were chatting with online would turn out to try to kill them all or something.

And I agree that Nev handled it well. Most people would have been angry and cut off all ties to the person. I know I would have.

Trevor 05-04-11 03:58 PM

Re: Catfish (2010 Documentary)
 
Saw this last night, going into it pretty much blind. All I knew was that I should go into it blind.

Loved it. I'm pretty empathetic by nature, but I was really moved by both leads. Hope it was real, but if not, then props to them for some fine acting.

One of the best films of 2010 imo.


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 11:42 AM.


Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.