About five months before the event was due to take place, McFarland flew a group of supermodels, including Bella Hadid, Emily Ratajkowski and Hailey Baldwin, to the Bahamas and shot a promo video, all super-yachts and sunshine. Then they were introduced to the Fyre band, which encouraged users to put over 3,000$ on an electronic band so they can pay for activities on the island despite already paying thousands of dollars on a weekend ticket. Common Sense Media. Fyre Fraud is an American documentary film about the fraudulent Fyre Festival, a 2017 music festival in the Bahamas. I do not like that the films have also been giving more attention to the perpetrator in question, Billy McFarland, which is exactly what he wanted to receive from his multiple business ventures and scams, such as Fyre Festival and Magnises, to get more publicity then find more investors to give him money to make another scam. . The pair started the festival in 2016 to promote their new talent booking agency with the same name, Fyre. None of the people got to see the progress photos from the place they were going to stay in. log in to Fyre, pay your money and she'd be there. The festival, he insists, must go ahead. Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. The Netflix documentary has received some backlash because it was produced by a company called, F*ck Jerry, who worked closely on the production and social media advertising of Fyre Festival and filmed most of the candid footage seen in the documentary. Fyre, on the other hand, drills down in a more linear fashion into the way the festival evolved from an insanely expensive concept, to an infamously enticing promo video featuring Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski, to a sold-out event that was definitely not coming together, and, ultimately, to a botched endeavor that sucked cash out of peoples wallets and forced attendees to fly away from the exclusive island that was supposed to supply them with the experience of a lifetime. Fyre director Chris Smith (American Movie and The Yes Men) has experience crafting stories about guys with big dreams and the capacity to pull off long cons, and he has a great instinct for finding the most damning anecdotes. All rights reserved. The Netflix documentary interviews multiple people who were involved with Billy McFarland at any point in time, whether it be from his former company, Magnises, or the employees who worked directly with McFarland on Fyre Festival itself. While that all seemed great, the budget they came up with and the gameplay they created, clearly wasn(TM)t thought-out enough, because the event itself slowly collapsed and the worst of it happened when the people actually were there to experience it. Required fields are marked with *. What's your takeaway from the movie? The Hulu Documentary interviewed a former worker of F*ck Jerry, who told them that they had a bigger hand in Fyre Festival than the current production company led you to believe, and they werent as ignorant to the ongoings of Fyre as the Netflix documentary led you to believe. Premise [ edit] Before then, he developed a credit card company called Magnises, which promised discounts and exclusive access that it rarely provided. How Do I Protect My Young Child from Cyberbullying? For other uses, see, List of original films distributed by Netflix, "Get ready to binge: Here's what you can expect from Netflix in 2019", "8 Takeaways From Hulu's Surprise-Released Fyre Festival Doc", "The social media company behind Fyre Festival lost more than 200,000 Instagram followers after being accused of plagiarizing its posts", "Netflix's 'Fyre': Inside the Millennial Scam of the Decade", "Both Fyre Fest Documentaries Have Issues (But, Yeah, We're Obsessed Anyway)", "Fyre Festival Was a Huge Scam. And in the age of Trump, theres every reason to believe that we havent learned from any of this, and that a character like McFarland will rise again. It's a Netflix documentary of the horrible failure of a modern social media tropical island event or a fraudulent scam. The latest fashion news, beauty coverage, celebrity style, fashion week updates, culture reviews, and videos on Vogue.com. Some festival-goers were even being yelled at over the phone being demanded to put money on their bands. Season Review; THE LAST OF US Season 1 Episodes 2-5: Whoa, We're Halfway There. But he is shown to be savvy about the culture, appearing very much aproduct of it himself, while constantly being embroiled in one shady promise after another. Who is adversely affected by the misbehavior of Billy McFarland? Fyre Festival, built entirely on social media buzz, is the physical representation of the chasm between the real and the fake, the haves and the have-nots. 2023 Cond Nast. Now that Meredith is gone, it is business as usual at Grey Sloan Memorial. Common Sense is a nonprofit organization. Throughout the film, director Chris Smith interviews the mostly sincere folks who tried to deliver what McFarland had promised. In the months leading up to the festival, Fyre Media even paid numerous celebrities and influencers to tout the festival on their social media accounts, including a reported $250,000 payment to. If these people would have noticed the signs beforehand, they would not be as upset when they watched the other poor souls on the island that had to sleep on wet beds from the storm the night before. This is an updated iteration of a grift McFarland ran at his failed credit-card company, not to mention a return to the kind of cons he used to entice people to come to Fyre Fest. If youre seduced by models, Instagram influencers, and FOMO hysteria, this is what you deserve. Fyre will give audiences a tirade of feelings that provide understanding and disdain for all involved. The film gives audience members a deeper insight into the inner workings of Fyre Festival and provides a definitive timeline to when the idea of Fyre and Fyre festival came to be and the disaster that was created in the Summer of 2016. After Dax Shepard asked her about her musical chairs relationship situation. Meanwhile, Netflixs Fyre lacks a sit-down with McFarland, but was co-executive produced by Elliot Tebele, founder of Jerry Media, the social-media agency that was a key promotion partner in Fyre Festival. This is why I encourage audience members to watch both films to get both sides of the story. This a film that showcases what can happen when all the wrong decisions are made. Excellent film depicting the power of social media, celebrity status and hyperbolic culture that allows mediocre business people to play pretend with real life dire consequences. The final section of the documentary shows how he succeeds, even as a convicted criminal out on bail, at launching another fraudulent insiders club. Its a tie. Tap "Sign me up" below to receive our weekly newsletter Fyre Fraud spends a bit more time with social-media influencers who show up ready to par-tay in the Bahamas and are immediately appalled by the disaster-relief conditions that greet them. Coming Soon. It's a story that inspired a documentary gold rush(we'll be reviewing a second Fyre Fest doc from Netflix on Friday), but in the case of "Fyre Fraud," it has made for an often hilarious andincisivetreatise on Millennial hubris. Just confirm how you got your ticket. Basically, Fyre is more thorough when it comes to capturing the extent and depth of the personal damage McFarland has done. the Terms and Policies, and to receive email from Rotten Tomatoes. STOLEN YOUTH: INSIDE THE CULT AT SARAH LAWRENCE: A Nightmarish Documentary Of Pain, Trauma And Hope . The documentary is excruciating to watch. Common Sense and other associated names and logos are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (FEIN: 41-2024986). Terms and Policies Again. What is meant by the term "a cautionary tale"? Actually, what transpired on the island of Great Exuma that spring was much darker, more criminal, and more devastating to the lives of many than most of us realized. Who could imagine a delusional narcissist of such humongous nerve could fool so many? Sure enough, when the guests arrive, it is worse than you could possibly imagine: not enough accommodation, not enough food, not enough of anything. People bought tickets because they, wanted to live like the Instagram stars they follow online. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google The Netflix documentary, "Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened," investigates the infamous Fyre Festival and its co-founders Billy McFarland and 90s rapper Ja Rule. Chris Smiths Fyre deftly understands this, never turning into the millennial schadenfreude it easily could have become. I didn(TM)t love watching this film, because I was more outraged than engaged, but it(TM)s a fantastically made documentary that(TM)s worth a look. LOL, right? Within 48 hours, 95 per cent of tickets had sold. Breaking down the contenders in the seasons most unpredictable Oscar race. Guests arrive at Fyre Festival. He was unflappable but he was also entirely delusional. This statement during the jaw-dropping Fyre, a new Netflix documentary about the disastrous 2017 Fyre Festival (and an interesting partner with the also-new Hulu documentary Fyre Fraud) really gets at the core of who Billy McFarland was during this entire crash-and-burn nightmare. Courtesy Netflix, It goes on and on, but even when the money runs out and the lie begins to be exposed, McFarland refuses to change course. The documentary never really reconciles that conflict, which is a shame because when Fyre Fraud gets serious, it asks some hard questions about modern advertising, social media, "FOMO" (fear . See our. Your AMC Ticket Confirmation# can be found in your order confirmation email. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. If youre watching either of these documentaries to get another hit of enjoyment at the expense of conspicuous consumers misery, honestly, you cant go wrong either way. Bad Projection Is Ruining the Movie Theater Experience, 6 Stand-ups Analyze ChatGPTs Attempts to Steal Their Jobs, Travis Barkers Finger Is Now the Enema of Blink-182 Fans. Which means youre the real winner, because you get to watch both of these very good documentaries. The Netflix documentary interviews multiple people who were involved with Billy McFarland at any point in time, whether it be from his former company, Magnises, or the employees who worked directly with McFarland on Fyre Festival itself. Chris Smith 's documentary, Fyre, provides a solid overview of what happened and how it went so wrong. Then, out of absolutely-fucking-nowhere . Club stated that "Fyre is the stronger, more worthwhile documentary, but its counterpart is a helpful reminder that, like so many stories, one account can't contain the whole truth. Music, Emily Ratajkowski, Migos, Lil Yachty, Hailey Bieber (formerly Hailey Baldwin), Diplo and many more. All rights reserved. None of the people got to see the progress photos from the place they were going to stay in. People got ready for the best week, or two weeks of the summer. It promised guests. McFarland speaks in a room that's revealed to be large and empty, and perhaps staring into the abyss he has made, calls itominous. Having said that, whats notable about Fyre, and perhaps makes it an interesting counterpoint to Fyre Fraud, which I have not yet seen, is that its not Billys face that I remember. Yet more drinks are opened, people are hired and fired, advice is ignored and, all the while, the clock is ticking. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is a 2019 American documentary film about Billy McFarland and the failed Fyre Festival of 2017. Because Fyre Festival seemed like the ultimate vacation for people with too much disposable income, when the whole thing imploded, a lot of internet observers were amused, to say the least. (Chris Smith, the director of Netflixs Fyre, told Tobias that McFarland claimed to be getting $250,000 for participating in Fyre Fraud, though Furst said they paid less than that for the interview.). surprise dropped on Hulu earlier this week, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. You're almost there! How Tyrel Jackson Williams Brought TikTok Cringe to, Its sort of a newer version of the L.A. actor ride that Kyle is on the first two seasons, but its worse.. These people were burnt by Fyre and are still trying to recover. Following Billy (a young entrepreneur) as he recruits big name performers like Ja Rule and worldwide models like Emily Ratajkowski, his big plan is to create the biggest music festival the world has ever seen. And [then] this happens in some form again.. (Or, at least, which one to watch first.) Fyre Fraud much more overtly frames its narrative around generational issues, opening the film by observing how Fyre Fest tapped into all the biggest millennial trends, referring to, among other things, the desire to cultivate an image on social media and an eagerness to be in close proximity to influencers. This article is about the documentary. The Netflix documentary is more professionally done. And who you can expect to see performing and presenting. As one former employee explains, Fyre was meant to be "the Uber of booking talent". The siren callof social media and the idea of perfection it peddles isfar too irresistible. The Wagner opera returns to the Met for the first time in 17 years. Actually, understanding a little about what happened when Ja Rule and entrepreneur/con man Billy McFarland decided to launch a Bahamian Coachella will only make you more eager to dig deep into the crazy, amusing, and maddening accounts of what went wrong spoiler: everything! "There are mattresses all over the place getting soaked," says music festival consultant Marc Weinstein, reliving the final, horrific moments. The Hulu documentary seems as if they were picking up the scraps that the Netflix documentary left over and even though they had the opportunity to interview McFarland, it didnt add anything to the story. Where do filmmaker Chris Smith's sympathies lie? By continuing, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Each daily disaster will ultimately culminate in the event itself, which is a failure of massive proportions. ", the documentary becomes. If Fyre is closer in spirit to an Errol Morris documentary, then Fyre Fraud is more like a film by Michael Moore or Adam McKay. The two starts promoting Fyre festival on a tropical island. Fyre is a document of a disaster, speaking to a number of the key players behind the scenes, although never McFarland himself (he is a part of Fyre Fraud, and this great piece by Scott Tobias details the controversy there). Verified reviews are considered more trustworthy by fellow moviegoers. The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic, HBOs Rain Dogs Finds Humor, Despair in the Working-Class Mum at its Center, Berlinale Highlights, Part Three: Hummingbirds, Concrete Valley, Afire, The Oneness of All Things: On Sofia Alaouis Animalia, New York International Childrens Film Festival Opens Window to the World. Instead we get a view of the naked emperor from his many, many servants and its incredibly damning to say the least. Hes living in the Bahamas and going to beaches all day. And the guests are still coming. Promising flights to the island in the Bahamas that it will be held at and luxurious accommodations, it truly would look like something that(TM)s not to be missed for those who could afford to attend. But both movies are unflinching in their examination of what happened in the lead-up, execution (or lack of execution), and aftermath of Fyre Fest, and diverge just enough in terms of tone and information to make both worthwhile. 4.5/5. Regal He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist,The New York Times, and Rolling Stone,and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association. Mature doc about outrageous scam is funny, sad, instructive. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. The image is an example of a ticket confirmation email that AMC sent you when you purchased your ticket. Smith and his crew successfully capture the often hilarious, often shocking, and sometimes sad outcomes associated with this mega-disaster of a non-event. Within 48 hours of the beginning of the social media hype, the event is 95% sold out -- with some packages topping $250,000. On more than one occasion, the filmmakers show McFarland staring into space as he refuses, perhaps for legal reasons, to elaborate on subjects such as whether Ja Rule understood the degree to which the festival was not ready to proceed as planned. Read critic reviews. (He didnt participate in Netflixs doc; Hulus competing, and less effective documentary, Fyre Fraud, paid for an interview with McFarland). McFarland bought an island in the Bahamas, Normans Cay, and promoted it to consumers as Pablo Escobars former island. McFarland had a crowd, now he just needed a festival. Making me literally hold my breath in expectation for every next bit of information with a story that is too bizarre and hilariously insane to be fiction, this is a superbly edited documentary about what happens when you put too much power in the hands of a pathetic playboy. Ive broken down the two docs based on eight different factors that should help you determine which one to watch. We wont be able to verify your ticket today, but its great to know for the future. One day we'll stop making memes about Fyre Fest,but the sentiment behind fomo, and the obsession with following fantasy lifestyles to feel like we're a part of something, will proliferate and only lead to the next worst thing. The babies of the 80s and 90s may resent the stereotypes that rear their heads in the Hulu documentary, but it does raise provocative points about what makes portions of this demographic so susceptible to endorsements from Kendall Jenner and other, similar attempts at Insta-marketing. In particular, staff members Andy Hill and Marc Weinstein offer unexpectedly open, personal recollections. For each of them, including unpaid Bahamian workers, it was a financial fiasco and a commitment unfulfilled. And yet, while Netflixs Fyre doesnt have its own interview with McFarland, I came away from that film even more infuriated with him than I was during the Hulu documentary. Parents need to know that Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened is a documentary that details the events leading to the Fyre Festival, a 2017 music event that was over-hyped, sold out and a complete fraud. [1], The film was co-produced by Jerry Media, the social media agency responsible for promoting the Fyre Festival and covering up the fraud, and MATTE Projects, the production company that directed the Fyre Festival's promotional shoot. "[10], In April 2019, Netflix reported that 20 million households had watched the film during its first month of release. Outlandishly revealing and near-heartbreaking at times, this Netflix documentary shares very unbelievable perspective of those constructing a pivotal-yet-disastrous event. One doesnt happen without the other. It just seemed as if McFarland was doing the interview as a redemption piece so that people would see him as not as bad of a guy as this incident made him out to be, so people will begin to trust him again and his future projects. McFarland and his cofounder, the rapper Ja Rule, are ruthless villainsas greedy as they are narcissisticand yet they manage to convince an incredible. We already know that Billy McFarland, the young huckster behind the festival, a charlatan with a vacant smile, is a convicted felon. The film features archive foo. There's just one problem: It's not going to happen. They startwork on Fyre Fest a mere four months before the first arrival, dumping the on-the-ground responsibility on hired workers and Bahamians who worked day in and day out. Shania Twain Gives Rare Update on Her Ex-Husband and Ex-BFF. After all, theres nothing quite like watching through the gaps between splayed fingers as the privileged and entitled stumble and fall, especially if its straight into a muddy puddle. Mattressesand tentsfor attendees of Fyre Festival. (There is essentially a Fyre Festival going on in the West Wing, one commenter says toward the end of the Hulu documentary.) Viewers who may laugh loud and long at the "trials and tribulations" of the very rich people who were the marks of such an outrageous con man will certainly feel the poignancy of the many who were swindled out of time and money. For the rest of us, , there was more than a hint of schadenfreude in watching the whole thing unfold in real time. You dont have to dig for contacts, you just go to Fyre and get a quote. Kendall Jenner was reportedly paid $250,000 to do this. Vogue may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Fyre Fraud goes a few steps further, not only placing the idea for the festival in a broader historical context but acknowledging the parallels between McFarland and other high-profile grifters, including one who had risen to the highest office in the land at the same time Fyre Festival was being planned. And what should you take from this documentary? That is Darwinism at its finest.. Their documentary does include interviews with a dopey-eyed, blinky McFarland that offer a bit more insight on his pre-Fyre Fest background . Link Copied! Popular supermodels including Halle Baldwin, Bella Hadid, and EmilyRatajkowski appeared in the advertising video for the Fyre Festival, and over 300 social media stars posted a burnt orange tile on their Instagramto fill followers feeds with promotions for the event. [1] Production [ edit] People bought tickets because they wanted to live like the Instagram stars they follow online. It was directed by Chris Smith, and produced by Danny Gabai and Mick Purzycki and was released on Netflix on January 18, 2019. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened Movie review by Renee Longstreet, Common Sense Media Common Sense says age 15+ Mature doc about outrageous scam is funny, sad, instructive. Whether or not you'rehip to those names and terms like "FOMO,"you should tune in: like taking all of your clothes and putting them on your bed after a visit from Marie Kondo, "Fyre Fraud" offers whopping perspective in its summation of our online culture, displaying everything at once while showing just how unsustainable so much of it is. He previously suffered a brain aneurysm on February 18, and was ultimately taken off life support. McFarland did nothave enough time to build the luxury villas, tents, and stage. No one knew the inner workings of Fyre Festival until the documentaries surfaced, so people know what to do as consumers and what to watch out for, as well as expose McFarland as the criminal that he is and continues to be. They areremoved from the nonsense of this saga and able to offer their clear perspective, diagnosing what influencers really mean to us, and what our fixation with their business hath wrought. It was like all beautiful beaches and sunsets, festival consultant Marc Weinstein says in the Netflix film, describing his social-media feed while working on the event. Hulu casually dropped their own Fyre documentary, Fyre Fraud on Monday, apparently just to flex on Netflix's previously announced . The saga of Fyre festival - examined in Netflix's documentary Fyre - is, on one level, a classic tale of hubris in 2017 internet speak: a charismatic man, Billy McFarland, recruits the. The tents, meanwhile, which are supposed to be luxury, are left-over hurricane tents. Its then especially fitting that the docs pop culture and social media commentatorslike theNew Yorkers incredibly astute Jia Tolentinoopine from tall buildings, surrounded by natural light. Privacy Policy and Which Fyre Festival Documentary Is Right for You? Toward the end, it shows footage of McFarland on bail, yet living in a hotel penthouse, while a partner in his latest scam tries to persuade previous Fyre Festers to drop tons of cash on tickets to events like the Met Gala and the Grammys.