Évocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie

As a 11-year-old living who lived a short drive from the Channel 9 studios, I remembered fleeting images of a chainsmoking madman who got lit up with a fire extinguisher by Roddy Piper at Wrestlemania V. This doc digs way deeper, revealing a man who, no surprise, doesn't seem to be on the level. Hard to miss with such frenzied, chaotic source material to work with. Talk about charisma. Puts some of the modern day lunatic fringe kooks to shame...even if it sounds like most of his act was a ruse.

A mostly 1-sided take on the mouth that heralded the rise of the kinds of pugnacious talk shows that turned viewers in2 rubberneckers, which is appropriate given that even his friends don't seem capable of saying much that's positive about the man's integrity. The doc's keenest insight however is the line it draws between Downey's populist posing & modern-day rabble rousers like Sean Hannity. When it's tied 2 fame & fortune even outrage can't be trusted.

Show footage is still capable of provoking shock and discomfort at the sheer vitriol on display, and there are some interesting revelations as to just how much of Downey's polischtick was by committee. Some attempt is made to humanize him, but forgoing any mention of his gay, HIV-positive brother, whose appearance on the show required no small amount of mutual courage, or later anti-smoking activism is indefensible. As are the upskirts of the women and "14 year-old girls" in the animated bits.

Although the shared opinions seem a bit too much one sided, this documentary is still a very informative look back at TV's most controversial figure. The fact that The Morton Downey Jr. Show was even allowed on the air back in the 80's is insane. He totally influenced a lot of the "trash" TV of the current generation. His life is very interesting to follow and for that alone I recommend you check this out. 4 STARS

Pathetic Man Panders to Neocons For Attention; Dies Alone

A fine doc with some unfortunately horrible decisions in presentation. The animation is atrocious and the credits song is just horrible.

As a very young man who should not have been watching this but did, it as every bit as insane and cringeworthy as this documentary portrays. Some odd presentation some of the time, but still interesting due to the dynamic idiocy of its star.

A sad tale about a man who hated his father so much he shat on the world and got cancer for his troubles.

Scary and sad.