Comedy Examiner Review: Documentary 'Catfish' will leave you stunned, shook up, and satisfied

This evening, thanks to the dynamic duo of Ain't It Cool News and the Alamo Drafthouse (the place-- I've found since moving to Austin-- to avoid chatty, d-bag teenagers while seeing a new movie), I was one of the lucky few to see the highly-hyped documenatry Catfish.  Though it's a documentary, Catfish is really a horror film,one that I'm sure I won't be allowing to slip my mind any time soon.  Read on for the review, my gentle Examiner readers...

You're going to be seeing a lot of douchebaggery online connected to Catfish. I should know, because immediately after the AICN-sponsored screening I attended tonight, I jumped onto the site to see what the talkbackers-- who Harry generously mentioned prior to the screening-- had to say about the film. Like a good film geek, I'd avoided the spoilers that so many had warned me about for this one, and I'd known enough to stay away from the scum-filled pond that is the AICN talkback section.  Curious, though, I checked out what the world's sleaziest pessimists were saying, only to have my assumptions instantly confirmed.

"FAKE!!!1!!" screamed a few, while others were shrieking that the gentlemen behind the film-- who, in fact, appeared to be perfect gentlemen during the Q&A that followed the screening-- deserved to be "punished" (what is this, Silent Night, Deadly Night?) for their transgressions against...well, even that's a spoiler. Here's some advice: avoid the talkbacks on this movie, even on this article, because it's going to be nothing but either A) total misinformation (nothing in the earlier talkback about the film was correct), or B) just standard bitching and moaning from the sofa-dwellers of the online community mixed with potential spoilers. Take it from me, someone who's only a fraction of the d-bag that the rest of these chuckleheads are: Catfish is for real, and Catfish is an excellent, nerve-wracking, incredibly sharp film.

If you've seen the trailers (see below) you know the film tells the story of Niev, the gentlemen we meet right off the bat in the film. Neiv's fallen in love with a girl he's met on Facebook, and...well, that's it. That's all you need to know. If someone approaches you and attempts to tell you anything else about the film (save for the remaining things I have to say in this writeup), use the flat of your hand to karate chop 'em in their throats. Do this repeatedly, and without mercy. Once they're on their backs, stand over them, screaming, with your hands planted over your ears. Continue doing this until they signal you-- however they might choose to-- that they won't say another word about Catfish.

Note: Spoiling what happens when Neiv goes looking for the girl he meets online (not to mention the girl's extended family, and all her comment-happy friends on Facebook) should be immediately criminalized. Just rest assured that it's creepy, it's all-too-easy to imagine it happening to you or one of your friends, and it'll very likely change the way you interact with anyone online going forward.  What Jaws did for swimming in the ocean, Catfish will do for Facebook.

After the screening, there was an all-too-brief Q&A conducted by Harry with the film's three leads-- Neiv and his office-sharing, documentarian pals-- in attendance that provided some great after-the-fact commentary and awesome hints about what we're going to see included on the Catfish DVD release. I'm just praying that they do a full-blown commentary, because virtually everything these guys had to say this evening was worth listening to, expanded and enhanced my understanding of the film, and caused me to look at a few key plot points in a completely different way than I'd seen them moments before. Truly, it was illuminating. And Harry Knowles looked adorable in his Hawaii Five-0 costume.

The one moment that left me a little annoyed, however, occurred during the second half of the Q&A, when someone made a comment that basically amounted to, "Catfish isn't a horror film, so why are the trailers made to appear that they're advertising a horror film?" The filmmakers responded as politely as they could, even though it was plain to see that they disagreed with that assessment. While the audience member spoke, everyone was polite enough, but the moment that little exchange ended between the question-asker and the film's leads, Harry blurted, "Well, all I know is, that was a horror film" (or something to that effect).

The noise the crowd made-- myself included-- tells me that this was the majority opinion. Sure, there are going to be some complaints from people that feel that the film's trailer (which hopefully Harry'll embed somewhere on this page) is a little misleading, or that it promises a slasher-style film that Catfish couldn't possibly deliver. Allow me to assure you that while Catfish is almost certainly a horror film by the most simple of definitions-- "Did it scare me? Yes, and frequently"-- it won't be gracing the cover of "Fangoria" any time soon, or be named the source for some brand-new, horror-based supervillain. There's no blood in Catfish, but that doesn't mean people aren't being gutted left and right.

You'll see what I mean.

Anyway, I cannot encourage you enough to see this film. Trust me on this one, folks. Special thanks again to Harry for the tickets (this was my first AICN screening since moving here, and it was enjoyed thoroughly), and an extra special slow-clap for the gentlemen behind this instant-classic documentary. You completely knocked it outta the park, guys.  Check out the trailer below if you're interested in seeing what all the fuss is about: