Buzz

This is one of the best docs I have seen in a long time!

The scenes of the marriage falling apart (or did it?) were stunningly intimate. I loved how muddy and messy everything was, with both Buzz and Lisa trying to figure out not only how to deal with Buzz's sexuality, but even to find the right words to describe it!

The documentary is told with gripping veriteé footage. Rather than "experts" opining on these issues, you see real people struggling through them.

I meant to watch half and then go to bed, but really couldn't, it was too compelling, about Buzz Bissinger, Pulitzer Prize winning author, now also exploring the edges of his identity.

Some of my favorite moments were ones that might seem marginal, but I suspect weren't -- an interview with a Friday Night Lights ex-football-star, now in prison; the scene of Buzz teaching writing class -- great teacher! I also really liked the portrait of Lisa, his wife. I began to feel her as a moral centerpiece of the film, also very smart and engaging. There is also fascinating repartee between Caitlin Jenner and Buzz (writing a book about her); the almost "married couple" they became, and the creative process of writing a book.

Buzz is a bit of a mystery to me, maybe because I don't identify with his obsessions, and find them somewhat unappealing. But it's clearly part and parcel of his uniqueness and his brilliance as a reporter -- and I admire the honesty with which he (and Caitlyn) expose their authentic, and long hidden, selves to the world. Pretty amazing stuff to get on film.

I like that the film didn't seem to take any strong editorial point of view, but simply let the characters present themselves as they chose.

Buzz Bissinger is a captivating character with real human struggles. This film is an enlightening look into the broad spectrum of human sexuality. It wrestles with the complex ideas of living one's true sexual self while retaining the security and deep love of a traditional marriage. It's not clear if Buzz has figured it out, but the film nonetheless leaves you hopeful that this man is smart enough to get it right.

The fact that the backdrop of this film is Buzz's collaboration with Caitlyn Jenner gives us a powerful touchstone for his own struggle with identity, while also framing his path in the larger context of how far we've come in understanding gender and sexuality as a society.

I found Buzz to be an insightful look into one man's struggle to find not only meaning, but recognition of his identity. Given his reputation as a writer, I applaud Buzz for his honesty. Good film.

Gave this title a look just because it was on HBO -- and knew little more than that it was about the writer of the Friday Night Lights novel -- that the movie and subsequent TV series was based on. Was completely engaged right from the start by Buzz who seemed like a larger-than-life character and it wasn't until maybe 1/3 of the way in that it took a turn into Buzz's secret lifestyle and the struggles it has made him endure. The other main character besides Buzz's conflicted spouse was none other than Caitlyn Jenner; whose biography Buzz just got finished co-authoring -- and the portrayal of Jenner definitely caught us off-guard; in that she was sympathetic and a POV worth hearing. Though the film concentrated increasingly on Buzz's hidden life; it only occasionally felt uncomfortable and certainly never gratuitous or sensationalistic -- two traps it would have been so easy to fall into; more than anything a tribute to the engaging direction and production of the piece. Worth an hour and a half of your time for sure.