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Rodney Brooks, Dave Hoover, Ray Mendez, George Mendonça

Innovative documentary filmmaker Errol Morris often finds a startling surreal edge in the midst of reality, seeking unique subjects, and discovering humor and pathos in odd, off-the-beaten-path locale... read more read more...s. After Morris attracted attention with his memorable look at pet owners and pet cemeteries in Gates of Heaven (1978), he traveled into a backwash of quirky humor by filming Floridians in Vernon, Florida (1981). His controversial The Thin Blue Line (1988) helped free the innocent Randall Adams from prison. Morris ventured into drama with The Dark Wind (1991), and he also made a biographical profile of Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time (1992). Now Morris returns with a film he described as "four versions of the myth of Sisyphus." Four eccentrics talk about their seemingly diverse lives, interests, and offbeat occupations: Lion tamer Dave Hoover, following paths trod by his hero Clyde Beatty, offers some curious theories about wild animal thought processes; topiary gardener George Mendo clips hedges to create giraffes, bears, and other creatures; mole-rat specialist Ray Mendez researches the insect-like behavior of these hairless, buck-toothed mammals; robotics scientist Rodney Brooks assembles autonomous robots. Morris finds thematic connections relating the four. While Hoover and Mendo provide footnotes on the fading American scene, Mendez and Brooks look to the future. Contrasting viewpoints are edited into an essay on existence and the human condition, incorporating Morris's reflection on his recently departed parents. Morris and cinematographer Bob Richardson employed a variety of film formats -- black-and-white, color, 35mm, Super-8, and 16mm. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

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80% liked it

3,779 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

31 critics

PG, 1 hr. 23 min.

Directed by: Errol Morris

Release Date: October 3, 1997

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DVD Release Date: September 24, 2002

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Stats: 177 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (177)

  • bbcfloridabound
    November 14, 2009
    bbcfloridabound
    This is more of a documentary then it is a movie but it was an entry in the 1997 Toronto International Film Festival Special Presentations. What we have here is a montage of four different people, and the stories go on within each other continuously. The four people are a topiar... read morey gardener who has a hedge in the shape of a giraffe and is as big as one, a robot engineer who has some pretty neat robots for 1997, a naked mole-rat expert and these are some ugly critters and I wish I could find someone to send me to Africa to study a rat, but I rather go to Italy) and a lion tamer who knew Clyde Beatty so he says and he's been attacked so many times but not a scare on him. All in all it made for a pretty boring movie for me anyway, but you just might find an interest in the Naked Mole Rat, My only interest is he don't end up in my Home. 2 Stars
  • Stinger839
    April 15, 2008
    Stinger839
    I love documentaries like this: pick a few very interesting accomplished people and mix their stories together thematically and visually. This is an interesting glimpse into the lives of four very focused individuals: a robot technician, a lion tamer, a topiary gardener, and a mo... read morele-rat expert. The parallels lie in their dedication to their professions, what they are trying to accomplish or demonstrate with their career, how these men have all found themselves in these oddly specific fields for the same central lifelong desire of "what's the world all about?", and how their careers mirror many other interesting philosophical and scientific concepts, such as evolution, our status as "dominant species", passion in life, and the human legacy to the world. You will not regret having seen this superior interview-based documentary.
  • lesleyanorton
    March 19, 2010
    lesleyanorton
    A intriguing and entertaining documentary film about four men and their passions - lion taming, robotics, topiary and mole rats. Thefilm lets the men speak for themselves - there's no "directors narrative" telling you what to think - and the visuals and the voiceovers of the four... read more subject areas interlink at times... .so you might be watching a lion tamer but listening to a hedge cutter (and damned if you can tell the difference between the four sometimes). I THINK the film is all about the interconnectedness between, well, everything - animal, vegetable and mineral - but I 'm not really sure. Watching this film was like struggling to grasp a nugget of wisdom that's being held tantalisingly just out of reach.
  • smootysveen
    June 24, 2007
    smootysveen
    plants = animals = humans = robots.

    Seems improbable, but as usual Errol Morris makes a convincing case.
  • KLFilmmaker
    January 28, 2007
    KLFilmmaker
    Good doc. Interesting characters who present original facts of their trades. Only downfall is the overuse of stock footage.
  • QueenCityFilms
    March 23, 2009
    QueenCityFilms
    A well-structured doc that blends insects-animals-humans-robots in an interesting way. Raises good questions and makes strong points.

    For the most part, I was intrigued, but the plant animal/topiary guy was a bit dull.
  • jes25924
    November 14, 2008
    jes25924
    A Lion Tamer, A man who makes sculptures out of Hedges and gardens, a mole rat scientist, and a robotics expert are all interviewed at oncein this Stream of conciouss documentary.

    Errol Morris takes 4 interviews and edits them together into a strange, fascinating, and almost ... read morea little exausting view of life, the universe, and everything.

    What could have just been a doc of eccentric scientists (none of whome are very quirky), is transformed by this process of re-arrangement into something unique. The dialogue and images on screen are often at odds or ironic, symbolic, metaphorical commentaries on each other. And alot of the images are from old science fiction and fantasy films, cartoons, news footage, and basically whatever image serves Morris most at the moment to emphasize a particular point.

    Machine, Man, Animal, Plant, Idea, and Will all come together in one of the strangest, most beautiful, and fascinating documentaries I've ever seen. There's so much going on, it needs to be watched more than once, but it really is amazing, and a bit dizzying.

    Terrible cover, and title though, the later is a refrence to the robitcs experts book, about sending hundreds of small light wieght simple robots throuhgout the solar system instead of one complex machine, at a time.
  • thedeadsea
    June 27, 2007
    thedeadsea
    Another great Errol Morris documentary. Once again, Morris treats his subjects with respect, even when most people would tend to think they were unusual.
  • grrhss
    February 6, 2007
    grrhss
    Morris is the greatest living documentarian - a master of narrative, editing, interview style, and character.
  • nanoqna
    January 16, 2007
    nanoqna
    i liked tis but its not his best but its goot becuz its weird. if u dont like this u might just want to now the bpoint

View All Fast, Cheap & Out of Control Reviews

Critic Reviews

M. Faust
January 2, 2011
M. Faust, Common Sense Media

Unusual documentary pointless but engrossing. Full Review

Jeffrey Overstreet
September 19, 2007
Jeffrey Overstreet, Looking Closer

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control convinced me that a documentary can be a poem. Full Review

Dan Lybarger
June 23, 2005
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online

A typically quirky and intriguing offering from Morris.

Dennis Schwartz
January 26, 2004
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Morris's juggling act as ringmaster somehow lucidly connects everything and comes up with an entertaining, dazzling and profound film. Full Review

James Sanford
March 29, 2003
James Sanford, Kalamazoo Gazette

Offbeat and often intriguing

Rumsey Taylor
August 3, 2002
Rumsey Taylor, Not Coming to a Theater Near You

In addition to its ability to be scrupulously analyzed, Fast, Cheap & Out of Control is entertaining, which is perhaps the most praised remark that can be given to a documentary. Full Review

Philip Martin
July 31, 2002
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

...an essay about the human struggle toward meaning.

Robert Roten
May 3, 2002
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

A unique film. Morris puts four disparate characters together into one film, making penetrating observations about the nature of humanity. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
March 1, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A perfect choice for those who want something completely different in their video viewing. Full Review

Karina Montgomery
June 15, 2001
Karina Montgomery, Cinerina

Many filmmakers would turn the work into a mockery; by the end, you respect & care about them & it makes you think about your place in the world.

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