Fake Famous

Name: Fake Famous
Genre: Movie/Mini-Series, Documentary
Released: February 2, 2021
Rating: 67

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 5 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 4 Ratings

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5.3

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5.3	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 4 Ratings

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Series Details & Credits

HBO | Release Date: February 2, 2021

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.

Genre(s): Movie/Mini-Series, Documentary

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Collider Matt Goldberg

Feb 2, 2021

Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review

Brian Lowry

Feb 2, 2021

Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review

Daniel Fienberg

Feb 2, 2021

Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review

The Times Carol Midgley

Apr 1, 2021

Season 1 Review: Occasionally the film, with its buzzy vibe, felt as superficial as the industry it was sending up. Yet it was entertaining. Read full review

Joel Keller

Feb 2, 2021

Season 1 Review: 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. Read full review

User Score

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5.3

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User Reviews

3ebfan511

Feb 19, 2021

This film shows how easy it is to manipulate things on Intagram, from the images themselves, to going further and buying "likes" and how these platforms stand to benefit from these things occuring in some ways. The experiment is very fascinating, although as the pandemic hits late in theThis film shows how easy it is to manipulate things on Intagram, from the images themselves, to going further and buying "likes" and how these platforms stand to benefit from these things occuring in some ways. The experiment is very fascinating, although as the pandemic hits late in the film, it perhaps ended the experiment sooner than one would like. Also having more subjects than just 3, and a larger variety of subjects...would have been even more interesting. It kept me engaged as I wanted to see how things would play out with each subject, and is definitely worth seeing if you like the subject matter.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

JLuis_001

Mar 11, 2021

''Self-help and self-aware
Self-made millionaire
Turn it up, and tone it down Entertain like a **** clown Self-image and self-belief Selfish acts between the sheets Self has no sense of tact Self is too self-detached We are self, the self that loves itself now We are self, I only see''Self-help and self-aware
Self-made millionaire
Turn it up, and tone it down
Entertain like a **** clown

Self-image and self-belief
Selfish acts between the sheets
Self has no sense of tact
Self is too self-detached

We are self, the self that loves itself now
We are self, I only see myself now

Self-absorbed and self-obsessed
If not me, then someone else
Self sees a billion stars
But still can only self-regard''… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Seasons & Episodes

67

Series Overview
Season 1

67
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: February 2, 2021
- No episode information is currently available for this season