Ren Faire

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!

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.

It's crapola! Basically the filmmakers are attempting to draw the viewer into the lives of these characters and to do so they take someone like Jeff, for instance, and they direct him - and if you don't see the issue with that then I can't help you - but imo, or even by definition, when you present a subject in a documentary, and you begin to say 'ok Jeff, recreate how you would leer up at Lou and his family - really glare at them with hate in your eyes' and you see a scene where the 'documentarians' capture a candid shot of Louis family entering a meeting with George, whist Jeff looks on, and you're then utilizing several cameras to show this, but have directed and produced several of the reaction shots - well then EVERYTHING else is now in question as to its authenticity - as to whether or not the 'documentarians' (in quotes for a reason) have suggested that they have this thread where someone wants to buy the fair whilst others lobby to retain it - perhaps that was done solely for the sake of 'good tv' because after all, everyone involved in the Fair would surely benefit from a successful documentary - it's free advertising (and half of them are already performers) - - you see what I mean? Also, the whispering device as well as other audio choices, again, in my opinion, are very poor choices - but you know, that's subjective - anyway, judge for yourselves of course but bear in mind what I've suggested please.

AND POINT OF ORDER: IT'S DUBBED AS THE ORIGINAL RENFAIRE, BUT HE ADMITTEDLY STOLE THE IDEA FROM A FAIR HE ATTENDED IN SAN FRANCISCO IN THE 70s -

Update: it's so transparent how outlined the storyline is - one character is fired before the 3 month off season (but coincidentally undergoes 'weight-loss surgery') then is rehired in the spring - ask yourself where did the audio come from - that entire plot line was engineered and manufactured - ie PRODUCED

And I haven't even touched upon the problematic issue of this being a glorified dating profile for some lecherous old coot who is looking to be a sugar daddy - no hyperbole - he wants to be 'a sugar daddy' to a natural breasted millennial (or younger) - it's offensive to me that he's essentially utilizing this platform in hopes of amplifying his profile - bleh!

Ren Fairs have never had an appeal to me, so I'm probably not the audience for this mini series. Still, I like offbeat documentaries, so I gave it a shot. The premise is a power struggle for control of the biggest Renaissance Festival in the US, as the long-time owner looks to cash out, retire, and chase far younger women. So, a comedy, you may think. But no, although there are some (probably unintended) funny moments, it basically comes off as sad. If the retiring owner is really worth over 100M (as he claims on a dating site profile), why does he meet his prospective partners at Olive Garden? Other than the old guys search for a young woman with natural breasts, the funniest scene was when one of the people vying to take over the Ren Faire claims, with a straight face, that he washed out of Air Force pilot training because he flew aerobatics in an AF airplane that wasn't certified for aerobatics. Suuuuuuuuuure.

Like I said, I'm probably not the intended audience, but at the end of the series, there literally was nobody from the series that I'd want to sit through dinner with.

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.