Buzz

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.

Buzz and Caitlin are insufferable in this documentary. However, there is one tender scene between a UPenn student and Caitlin at a Q&A that I really appreciated. The BEST PART of this documentary is Lisa Smith (Buzz's wife ... they are now separated). Lisa is beautiful and brilliant and I wish her all the love and happiness in the world. She was so honest in the documentary and it depicts something I haven't seen very often : a partner learning to adjust to a significant other's exploration. She has a beautiful soul and it is so apparent in this film.

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.

I don't get reviewers (fortunately not many here) saying this is shoving a perspective down our throat. All good art and literature and films help us to be empathetic with someone's experience, and that's what this does, incredibly well. You always have the choice not to watch the film - but you should.