Review of The Insufferable Groo (2018) by Ian L — 30 Dec 2018

I want to break this review into two parts. The first, the actual documentary storytelling and the second, the story itself.

From a documentary perspective: The way the story is framed from within one of Groo's own acting tutorial films is genius. The animation gave a much-needed lightheartedness to the film and the music was a nice whimsical touch. Overall the execution of the film was awesome.

The Story: The title "Insufferable Groo" should give you a sense of what is to come, but Groo is truly a frustrating person. On one hand, you see a DIY filmmaker that has a true passion for movies, and on the other a man who is so flawed that he really gets what he deserves.

It's tough to not watch the film and feel that even if he made simple changes to his approach he would see some commercial success. Mostly my heart ached for his family. A loving wife and family who are forced to live a pretty tough existence because Groo cannot play nice with others. I wanted to root for a guy who has so much passion but at the same time wanted to take him by the shoulders and shake him to his senses.

Overall a great film and an amazing project, but go into it knowing that you will feel frustrated and a little angry in the end.