Joslyn Jensen’s 2024 film “Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme” examines the fraudulent dealings of Zachary Horwitz, also known as actor Zach Avery. Using the film distribution business as a front, Horwitz managed to bilk investors of hundreds of millions of dollars with what was essentially a vast Ponzi scheme.
Synopsis
The film narrates the story of an actor who becomes a con. In an effort to realize his dreams of becoming an actress, Horwitz formed a purportedly film rights acquisition company that lacked any credibility. He lured them with assurances of earning incredible summits within periods reasonable, saying that bonds and forged documents are waiting for them. The reality, however, is much different as the documentary walks the viewers in detail about how Fat Doma got people to invest their life savings in his fake venture with false promises of Hollywood fame. The audience gets a visual summary of the whole scam including its perpetrators and how it played out with the help of interviews with victims, industry professionals and dramatisations.
Cast & Crew
- Director: Joslyn Jensen
- Writers: David Darg, Joslyn Jensen and Shea Weekley.
Main Cast:
- Hannah Elizabeth Alexander as Auditioner
- Zach Avery as Himself (archive footage)
- Emily Beth Beacham as Mallory
- Robert Jumper as Zach
- Critical Reception
The directors of the documentary feature film “Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme” have received different feedback from film critics as the film gets mixed reviews. On the film review and rating website Rotten Tomatoes, it has a proportional rating of 67%, which means that the reviews are generally good. Metacritic on the other hand reported a score of 52 out of a hundred based on seventeen critics and suggests average or mixed reviews
Siddhant Adlakha writing for Variety was quite critical as he stated the film “takes its motley of procedures from far superior and more accomplished documentaries and as a result, it is a confused multi pronged multi approaches which never coalesces.”
In the same vein, The Hollywood Reporter pointed out that although the issue was interesting, the documentary managed to approach Horwitz’s schemes in a one-dimensional way, offering nothing new.
On the other hand, Gazettely credited the film with “a sophisticated documentary approach that allows the audience to realize some of the tragic flaws in the glitzy treatment of dreams that Hollywood sells.”
The scope of the review focused on the evidently practical side of the documentary that proved able to unveil some of the harsh realities which are often concealed behind the glitz of show business.
Conclusion
In the documentary “Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme”, the viewers witness the systematic skullduggery of Zachary Horwitz and learn the potential self-destructive consequences of avarice and the glamour of success. Despite mixed reviews, the documentary is an engaging example of ‘how not to be’ in the entertainment business and encourages people to exercise caution and critical thinking when dealing with anything selling itself too aggressively.
Watch Movies on Netnaija