The Amazing Johnathan Documentary

Seems like a very dishonest Documentary where the director needlessly interject himself into the film! Not worth your time.

Dishonest film making. Monstrous directing.

WTF even was this movie?

Yet another documentarian who thought it necessary to make the film mostly about themself. Complete with the obligatory footage of going home to his rich parents' home to talk about how he's thinking about giving up. It's a doc about how hard it was to make. Ho hum. I'm beyond sick of this narcissistic format.

This is horrible. It is not a documentary about Johnathan. It is a bad video maker whining about too many people making documentaries about his subject. The viewer is left without knowing anything about The Amazing Johnathon. I have to search down one of the films this guy is complaining of that are actually about the magician instead of a this waste of time. Ross McElwee this director is not.

An absolute force of nature and he will be sorely missed. It would appear that the armchair critics missed the point and should hold their heads in shame.

In his heyday The Amazing Johnathan was one of the funniest and most surprising comedy-magicians on the circuit. The premise for this slightly rambling and confusing documentary is to follow Johnathan on his come-back tour after a forced absence brought on by an apparent diagnosis of terminal illness. How much of what we're told is true and how much manipulation and trickery becomes the subject. Unfortunately the price is an increasing lack of focus. Still interesting, though.

Waste of time. Fake documentary scripted to look like a crazy, frustrating and intriguing story. Berman, Chinn and the Annoying Jonathan are completely horrible at making this look authentic.

You never really know where the movie is heading and at first I was a bit annoyed but as the twist and turns pile up the movie really starts to shine. I was hoping for an interesting ending and staying true to the spirit of documentary, it ends in the weirdest way possible. The illusion is revealed and hilarity ensues.

In 2014, the Amazing Johnathan (sic), a surreal American "Gonzo" magician/comedian/entertainer from the 80s/90s, for those of us who don't know him, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and given one year to live. Three years later, first time documentarian Ben Berman begins filming him, very much still alive and indulging his life as he wishes to, as he embarks on a comeback tour. The resulting film, now streaming on Sky Documentaries, may have started in a conventional manner, but as soon as it begins to crack open the man's eccentric facade, it also slowly pivots into something more meta that ends up looking back at the documentary maker himself and the nature of documentaries and the ethics involved. To say any more will ruin the enjoyment of this film, but suffice to say, I was thoroughly amused by the way conversations between Johnathan and Berman casually throw up curve balls or yet another nonchalant revelation. Even though at times, it skirts close to sentimentalities and being naval gazing, Berman endears himself by the sweet-natured and genuine manner he confronts every obstacle, as its central mystery deepens to the point where you start questioning what is real and what isn't. Watching him turn legal requirements, such as the use of pixelated faces, into funny and clever visual short-hands, only further reaffirms his underdog status as we find ourselves willing him to win. The third act may be too cute for some, but I admire his gumption for going there, not to mention the ironic circularity of it all, as Berman ends on an unexpected sweet note and delivers a portrait of an illusion maker who is mischievous, elusive, yet terribly human after all.