Reversal of Fortune

I'm fond of watching documentaries, so this triumph of a film has remarkably resonated with me in an extraordinary way. This is a segment of life all around us that is so very unknown (the homeless), laid bare before us as never before. Congratulations to Demaio for this ingenious accomplishment! The sad story takes us down a plot never witnessed in any Hollywood screenplay, yet grabs your soul till the very end. Man against himself - the ultimate test! What separates any of us from homelessness can be found in the lessons portrayed. Nature, nurture, good, bad, ugly,... its all there.

Without narrative, the unprodded course this man takes will answer a few more of life's biggest questions.

Reversal of Fortune (2005)

**** (out of 4)

This here's a pretty amazing documentary that I'd probably put on my ten best of the decade so far. The film tells the story of a man named Ted who has been homeless for the past twenty-five years. His family pretty much wants nothing from him, his only friend is an 18-year-old who works at a recycling plant where Ted earns some small cash and he's got a bad drinking problem. The documentary then takes Ted's life into a new direction when the producer's give him $100,000 and then we see what the man decides to do with the money. The idea of giving a homeless man $100,000 is a great little gimmick and it leads to some truly beautiful, funny and heartbreaking scenes as we see Ted for the next six months of his life. I've always said the most beautiful scene in film history was the blind hermit/monster scene from The Bride of Frankenstein but there are a few moments in this film that really challenge that. The reaction of Ted when he learns about the money is priceless as is the scene where he helps out his only friend by buying him his first car. Of course, the story isn't all happy and hopefully we'll get a bigger follow up at some point.

I personally had interaction with Ted in his South Sacramento apartment, he drinks obsessively and uses drugs, I know because I did it with him. Some of his family members used drugs and drank to craziness with him. If they really wanted to do a social experiment, why not screen their subjects better? This was a pointless project and Ted and his friends and family got to party to no ends off of Showtime. Next time they want to do something stupid like this they can call me. I can party with their money just as good as Ted did. There are homeless drunks on every corner in America. I cannot figure out what this documentary was trying to prove, except maybe that the producer of this show is an idiot. Ted's addictions were well into severe progression before he got this money, he told me so. Maybe he cleaned up for three days if they actually tested him for drugs or alcohol. Ted is a player and street wise, I'm sure he knows it is not hard to get around a drug test, hell I did it for parole for years. I think Showtime used and exploited Ted and should be shamed for their irrational actions. Ted had a part in this too, he is simply lost in his addiction and his personal demons, especially being co-dependent with his family and women.

this was a really good documentary. this was reality TV. I hate how Ted went through that 6 months, wasting that money. To me it was a blessing and he should of done something more constructive. At the end I wish I could know what happened to Ted. I hope he is well I suspect probably back to being homeless again. I felt for him because the way his mother and sisters wanted nothing to do with him at first. Then when he got the money, and he got in touched with them and he told them about the money they wanted him to be a part of his life again. Its sad that people would use others like that. I am sure for the most part his sisters just wanted to help him out somehow. At least I'd like to think that. It was painful after a bit to see how he'd spend through so much cash in a week, all that drinking, smoking, trying to get laid. Shoot if he wanted to get laid so bad he could of gotten himself a prostitute for lot less than what he spent on the two girlfriends. It was great what he did for that kid Michael. I wish I could know how Michael is now that he has that car. 68 minutes for this documentary is too short. This film project is something that should be a regular thing, like a series. this show was way better than most of the fluff on TV. It showed real people in real life. And I still wish I knew what happened to Ted. Oh well, I guess I can just hope.

I thought this film was fascinating, quite frankly. It took me through a whole range of emotions in barely over an hour. At first I felt very sympathetic for Ted, as he seems to be making the best out of a crummy situation (recycling, etc..). I then felt a nervous excitement for Ted when he finds the money. After he buys his friend a car, and explains to the hooker the importance of giving, I felt a genuine sense of respect for him. After this comes just complete, outright nervousness and concern. I find myself actually talking to him through the TV, trying to reason with him. Towards the end I actually hit a point where I was just plain angry with him and his rash decisions. Finally, I ended up completely bewildered by what I had just witnessed. Had this really happened? Had he really just cruised through $100K in 6 months, after living off of $25 a day for 20 years? In retrospect, the emotion I feel most for Ted is my original feeling - sympathy. Ted didn't stand a chance. He had no concept of the value of money, and nobody in his life he could trust to manage it. While many claim that the producers of the film should be ashamed of making this film, knowing he didn't have a chance to turn his life around, I would disagree. There was no telling what this man would do. As I can recall, this experiment has never been documented before. I truthfully was unsure how this money would affect Ted. Also, a viewer would be naive to translate the results to represent a broad view of how instant wealth would be handled by a homeless person. It is clear that this situation would differ from one person to the next. As for this situation with Ted...fascinating story and great theater.