X
- TV-MA
- HBO
- TV-MA
- HBO
Summary The documentary directed by Nick Bilton films what really happens when aspiring actress Dominique, fashion designer Chris and real estate assistant Wylie build their social media profile by buying fake followers and using bots to become influencers.
- TV-MA
- HBO
- TV-MA
- HBO
Fake Famous
Season 1 Premiere: Feb 2, 2021
67
5.6
Summary The documentary directed by Nick Bilton films what really happens when aspiring actress Dominique, fashion designer Chris and real estate assistant Wylie build their social media profile by buying fake followers and using bots to become influencers.
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
67
40% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
60% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 5 Critic Reviews
67
40% Positive
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
60% Mixed
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
In some ways, it’s very Black Mirror, but in other ways it’s kind of silly where the real victims are the PR firms and companies so desperate to make a sale that they can’t even distinguish if their potential customers are real or fake anymore. To Bilton’s credit, he also acknowledges that the influencer culture is not just one thing, and that while it may be built on dubious engagement, there are other times where activists have used the platform to try and effect change. Furthermore, why it’s sad that so many young people want to be famous, there’s a “same as it ever was” element to that desperation.
Fake Famous offers a novel window into the world of influencers, conducting an experiment to see if three young wannabes can be transformed into marketing dynamos. While their tales don't unfold entirely as planned, the HBO documentary exposes how ripe for manipulation this whole culture is, and the powerful incentives to game the system.
Occasionally the film, with its buzzy vibe, felt as superficial as the industry it was sending up. Yet it was entertaining.
Despite the fact that there are some very funny and weirdly satisfying aspects of Fake Famous, it somehow seems incomplete. ... Instead of trying to find new people willing to go with the experiment, he essentially concentrated on Dominique leaning into the experience. Yes, the social experiment still worked, but we would have liked to have seen more examples of it working than just a single person.
Nothing in the three portraits of Bilton's aspiring social media superstars comes close to the nuance and empathy in a documentary like Jawline, which did a much better job of blending "You're so old!" informational aspects for the geriatric (anybody older than millennial) audience and actual relatability for younger viewers. ... I was engaged, but completely unconvinced by Fake Famous.
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 5 User Ratings
5.6
60% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
20% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
20% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 5 User Ratings
5.6
60% Positive
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
20% Mixed
1 Rating
1 Rating
20% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
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Production Company:
- Consolidated Documentaries
- Home Box Office (HBO)
Initial Release Date: Feb 2, 2021
Number of seasons: 0 Seasons
Rating: TV-MA
Genres:
