Moby Doc

source: Moby Doc

As you would expect, a documentary about Moby was never going to be straightforward and standard. It starts out really well and there are some deep moments but half way through seems to lose its steam. It does tell you about his childhood and the pressures of fame in an unique and interesting way. There are insights. Also as you'd expect there is plenty of his music and looks of beautiful shots. Stories are told with wooden models, actors and while he is on the phone. You need to give it your full attention as there are little bits its easy to miss. It just really felt unfinished. Maybe that was intentional. It just really felt like it was 3/4 there but never quite got there.

The first half of this documentary is amazing. You're instantly hooked and wanna see it to the end, but it anticlimax in the end. He failed to carry the vision through. It's as if the second half of it was spent on psychedelics trying to make something which would blow our mind but fails to explode.

Moby is making bio-doc about himself. One must always be weary when a famous person is doing their own biography. Is he willing to go dark? Is he willing to go deep? The answer seems to be maybe. It boils down to the poop story. It's disgusting, degrading, and it's a low-key brag. It doesn't get more rock n roll than waking up from an orgy. The poop is the extra cherry on top to out-do even the most extreme stories. Sure it's not snorting human remains but it's the next best thing. That's this movie. He's telling us about his alcoholism, his hedonistic lifestyle, his dysfunctional family, and his redemption into activism. It's Moby as told by Moby. At least, he has enough crazy stories to keep this interesting.

What can I say ... Love some of the mans music ... But I wouldn't want to meet the person ... Then or now ... He puts himself down for being arrogant and out of control in the past ... Then appears as a complete a-hole now too ... Bad strategy mr Moby ... I've lost all respect for the person, but still love some of his older music How he can think he has processed as a person into his later stage is beyond me ... And this sort of arrogantly seems to praise him up in his new alter ego ( emphasis on ego !!!! ) Don't watch it if you don't want to spoil the music ... The guys a pain.

I was a teen that grew up in the 90's listening to some big Moby's hits. I really enjoyed the documentary from 80's to late 90's, where Moby was on the top of his career. Great to know details like he was diagnosed with mental health problems at that time. On the other hand, the last part of the documentary was boring and get out from the main point. So, overall mixed feelings because of the inconsistence.

About an artist it deepens your perspective and view of them and it makes you connect and like them a bit more irregardless of your previous emotions. I actually had a pretty neutral perspective on Moby, having even liked some of his songs but this documentary made me detest him and really understand why he was so hated. Never have I seen someone come across at the same time quite as whiney, pompous, pretentious, boring and condescending. I'm really trying to think of something good to say. The quality of the camerawork and the animations are fine I guess? But this documentary was a waste of time to be honest.

There are many ways to look at this work. And I call it a 'work' because it not only tells the life story of Moby, but it does it in such an imaginative and creative way that I would call it a work of art, an extension of Moby's quirky creativity. Of course, if you know anything about Moby or rock stars in general, you will anticipate a "Behind the Music" arc in Moby Doc- star is poor, star make it big, star becomes a star, star hits rock bottom, star cleans up and finds transforming meaning and purpose. But how he tells this story is quite entertaining, explaining the lows of his lows and the highs of his highs through various art forms. And his meaningful passion towards animal rights is inspiring, and in Moby Doc, you will understand the roots of that passion. Moby sets the tone of Moby Doc in his first scene: looking right at you he explains how successful he has become and much more importantly, how empty that success was for him. It reminds of an old adage: "There are two forms of suffering, not getting what you want, a getting what you want". Woody Allen, another nerdy New Yorker who like Moby, has attained success beyond his wildest dreams, stated at the of his documentary that he "still feels screwed". Basically, If you like Moby's music, you will like Moby Doc. Definite recommend.

As a big Moby fan back in the day I was really excited to see it. But what a bizarre documentary. Very contrived interview set up with fake conversations with fake psychiatrists and with people on the phone. Stylistically it jumps around and is very inconsistent. The story leaps around and doesn't link together and huge periods of his life are just left out. There's very odd b-roll choices and over-use of space and rockets. The humour feels awkward and makes the deeper stuff seem like it wasn't to be taken serious. But the most disappointing thing was how insincere it comes across. For a story with so much trauma, sadness, suicide etc it comes across more as vanity than vulnerability. I appreciate bold creative choices, but boy did they make the wrong ones here. It just completely undermined the themes of the film. It's a mess that makes Moby less relatable. This is exactly how NOT to make a documentary about this subject matter.

What a load of self centered, ugly, contradictory and disconnected stuff. It seems like he wants to tell a big message to the world like some kind of who knows what cult messiah. It seems to tell he and his friends created the very simple fact of nourishing yourself without the help of meat. It seems to tell amazing rock star decadence that obviously didn't wait for Moby or rock or tekno to be alive through humanity. It seems, it seems, it seems ... It is probably like many works honest but without any kind of interest. It's 1 life among billions. So what?