BS High

A thoughroughly interesting story that took some time to get started if you (a) aren't an american and don't understand the American Football and education system and (b) didn't know the story. The amazing thing is how the scum bag Roy isn't in jail. His manipulation and damage he's done to everyone he's ever met is palpable. Its also incredible that he's still walking. A truer sociopath, narcissists and selfish, remorseless being you could never meet. The failing of this documentary is that the directors did not punish him enough with cross examination during interviews. I understand that film makers need to placate the subject until they don't need him any more for their film, but I wanted to see more of his suffering on camera. The biggest question is why would he be part of this doc in the first place... but that tells you everything you need to know about this selfish, self centred ego.

I wish nothing but ill will for this despicable manchild for the rest of his miserable life. The only good thing is that people like this always get what they deserve in the end. He's like a Don King without the money. As for the film, we'll put together and shot. It's simple stuff though, so anyone with half a brain could have shot it. There's no imaginative direction here. A worthwhile 90 mins.

There are 10 reviews but 47 votes? Don't trust the rating...... I recently saw the movie BS High, and I have to say, it left me underwhelmed. It's evident that big media is trying to portray itself as the best, even if that means over-dramatizing the leaders of a fake high school.

HBO has a reputation for doing this kind of thing, and in my opinion, it's a waste of time. Although the movie had its share of exciting moments, overall, it felt like they were trying too hard to make it seem like something it wasn't.

I enjoy a good drama as much as the next person, but when it's so clearly fabricated, it takes away from the real emotion and impact of the story. That's what bothered me the most about BS High - it was so obviously trying to manipulate me into feeling a certain way.

Ultimately, we must remember that not everything we see on TV or in movies is real. We must be able to discern what's genuine and what's not, and not be swayed by flashy production values or big names attached to a project.

At the end of the day, it's the stories that truly touch our hearts and souls that are worth our time and attention. The rest is just noise sadly...

Roy, con-artist extraordinaire, lies, steals and manipulates his way into establishing an illegal football academy selling false hopes to vulnerable youth. The premise is enticing, but ultimately hearing directly from Roy for so much time spoils the experience. He might honestly be one of the least like-able personas on TV.

You'll feel complicit watching this documentary giving Roy exactly what he's always wanted - attention. And thats the rub. I was interested to hear more about the outlandish tales, but within the context of not acknowledging Roy for being some incredible entrepreneur and hustler. Anyone who takes advantage of kids like that shouldn't be provided any sort of limelight to explain their side of the story.

Partly my fault for wasting my time anymore now that serial documentaries are the 'erudite' alternative to reality programs for relatively cheap to produce streaming filler entertainment. I really can't take this glorification of a psychopath as star of the show to drive this story, it's sickening. It makes all the investigators and journalists complicit to the crime of glorifying his behavior simply by giving him a mic and a camera lens. It's not about anything else than Roy Johnson, so the title, pun included, and certainly the descriptions are deceiving. It's a cringe filled story you've heard many times before only this has been stretched from a 30-60 minute spot to a serial, a meta con with in a con with in a con. HBO is over. 30 on 30 produces much better sports documentaries. Notable quotes: "i could tell you some stories you'd never believe, but I'd literally say whatever I need to say to pull that dog up out you." "One of those stoid kids, I mean one of those young men that I like..."

In the world where documentaries often tread the line between sobering realities and the absurd, "BS High" pirouettes over that line wearing clown shoes, executing a flawless landing into the realm of the utterly unbelievable. This cinematic journey into the Bishop Sycamore High School scandal is akin to watching a trainwreck in slow motion, except the train is made of lies, the tracks are made of dreams, and the conductor is none other than Roy Johnson, with a whistle that seems to only play the tunes of deception. The film masterfully strings together interviews with the former head coach, his colleagues, key journalists like Andrew King and Bomani Jones, a determined school sports investigator Ben Ferree, and the bewildered players who rode this train, providing a narrative so wild it would make fiction writers blush.

Directors Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free make the audience oscillate between uproarious laughter and jaw-dropping disbelief. Through candid interviews with Johnson, Branham, Peterson, and the players, the film peels back the layers of this onion of deceit, and yes, there are tears. The inclusion of journalists and Ferree adds a crucial layer of seriousness to the mix, providing just enough grounding to remind us that this saga, unbelievably, is not a work of fiction. Their incredulous expressions as they recount the unraveling of BS High's façade are worth the price of admission alone.

But it's not just the scandal that steals the show; it's the way "BS High" presents it. Like a magician revealing his tricks, the documentary lays bare the mechanics of the scam with a flair for the dramatic. It's a rollercoaster that you didn't know you needed a ticket for, with twists and turns that leave you questioning the very fabric of reality. In the end, "BS High" is a testament to the truth being stranger than fiction, and a reminder that sometimes, reality needs no embellishment to be thoroughly entertaining. Hats off to the filmmakers for turning one of the most baffling stories in high school sports history into a five-star cinematic experience.