The phrase “reality TV” is used very casually and many engagements that get labeled as such are manufactured and there is nothing natural about the characters. It appears that the very concept of “reality TV” has crept into the real world where people reinvent themselves around one or two odd traits. In an age where authenticity is rarer by the minute, how does one go about making documentaries? This is something Lance Oppenheim seems to have solved. He adds fictional romance to daily routine and, with this, appeals to the type of viewers who want a more intense experience. However, the subjects do not come across as if they are being misrepresented which is a good point to note.
This docu-series is divided into three parts and provides an insight into the drama associated with the sale of the Texas Renaissance Festival, which is a permanent theme park founded years ago by a multi-billionaire named George Coulam. Now in his eighties, he has seemingly lost all interest in the fest and resorted to looking for a sugar baby online. However, the fact that he is still the owner of the fair is enough to convince many why George runs the risk of becoming a drug addict. To make things worse, he lives next to a big flipping house decorated in all sorts of gaudy colors. Once George was closely involved with fairness, plus he was a big puncher. Now he feels good about making a mushing man of himself, especially at his weekly meetings. Overall, this docu-series has a lot of unnecessary drama with George in a burning hot temper over the slightest of matters.
Jeff, the current GM, is a true believer. He is a theatre nerd who is married to the director of the park’s entertainment who has also spent his life at George’s Faire. But while Jeff has reached his career goals, George is sarcastic & bitter and constantly doubts his GM in all aspects of running it. On one hand, we have kettle corn stall operator Louie, who has been able to set several successful enterprises in the fair and is more in sync with George’s beat. Louie is a creature of habit, perennially dangling a phone earpiece, nursing energy drinks, and constantly looking for an angle. Then there is vendor coordinator Darla who does not share it she operates only for the expansion of her power in the organization. It’s just that the bolder she becomes, the more she risks so annoying George.
Ren Faire does aim to amplify certain themes which I could imagine being in other HBO shows such as Succession or The Righteous Gemstones. It would appear that some old money enjoys their finances more than their power status, and they relish placing it on the desperate toadying masses. There are aspects of Oppenheim’s documentary, Some Kind of Heaven, which revolves around residents of a retirement home in The Villages, Florida that feel so grotesque that one is left in doubt whether the director is showcasing these people as the doofuses they are or is making fun of them. I on the other hand tend to go towards the opposite because, with the amount of fake personas people are surrounded by and fed, most now become hyperreal themselves and their true selves buried deep.
George is a frustrating person with hard views on any form of art and business. In my view, he is a true Rococo stylist, and as such does not venture further than what he deems acceptable painting. In one scene filled with rage, he shouts at Jeff, livid that the man would have the audacity to show him the evidence of anything. This is the unhinged delusion of a king who is used to getting everything he wants. Is Oppenheim ramping things up scoop & overdoing it? Yes, he does bring a nice touch of drama to the completely ordinary events. There are other satellites in orbit of George, some of which never see any light; the assistant who spends every afternoon on multiple romance sites creating and updating George’s profile is one whose outlook I so wish that I had known about.
The film shines when it captures the reality of King George III. Olive Garden dates with prospective brides are always fascinating. King hopping over tables is grand but almost surreal. One of the most frequent questions we see King George asking is whether a certain woman has had surgery ” Do your breasts feel real? ” There’s Chris who has lots of boxes full of paperwork with all kinds of data about various women he collected over the years. King can look at it as if it was business but paying attention or indeed accomplishing anything is out of the question.
The Fair shines a light on how art and business can coexist in harmony, the Fair is a canvas for Jeff to showcase his love for theatrics while Louie regards the fair as a business opportunity, he has to wear a costume and sneak drinks in, still has to make calls and avoid guests. Talk about a stark contrast, me at least, it was because of people like Louie who showed me a different perspective on life, like George, who believed that the world was there to be manipulated and conquered.
Okay, there’s a lot to unravel here, let’s start off with the fact Oppenheim makes it work, he accepts the silliness while also being serious when the time calls for it, much like he did with some sort of Heaven. Because Oppenheim certainly doesn’t sugarcoat the absurdity of the US, he rather, expects us to look at it from a more humane standpoint. While yes, it is safe to say the US is mad, it is fair to say this madness isn’t new, it’s simply a beast constantly reshaping itself.
George is just another example of the unthinking Horatio Alger/Ayn Rand/pull yourself up by your bootstrap nonsense that has never, ever been the case. I didn’t expect to immerse myself so much in this but was disappointed it turned out to be only three hours long. They are truly worth watching.
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