Synopsis:
In this parody of social media celebs and reality television stars, a beautiful, sexy youngheiress named London struggles to regain fame after being pushed out of the limelight.
When you think of mockumentaries or spoof movies most of us recall, Scary Movie, Not Another Teen Movie, or Popstar. However, Reality Queen! seems to actually want to make a point rather than just simply being an exaggerated and goofy version of the concept it’s portraying. The exaggerations that it does express, lends itself to the conclusion that the story wants us to draw. That we live in a society that is irrationally obsessed with celebrity and fame, especially instant fame, to the point that people are now famous for essentially nothing. We blindly follow vanity and lavish lifestyles that are oftentimes fake and we never question it. Adding, that we will consume whatever lies or misinformation that those in those positions are able to cultivate because we want it. Leading to the question, who is feeding who? Are social media celebs and reality tv stars feeding us content and controversy because it’s their life or do they feel obligated to expose themselves because we want to be entertained? Are we consuming the content because we care for this person or are we getting some kind of satisfaction because it’s a break from our own personal troubles? It all manifests itself into a delusional cat and mouse game that leads to fans feeling like they are owed something and celebs along with fans struggling to realize the fake from the real. Entering ourselves into our own personal Truman Show, it’s hard to tell what’s real when so much is scripted. Aside from that, this movie is filled with humorous moments that poke fun at the intelligence, lifestyle choices, and influence of stars we all know. While you get what the movie is trying to say pretty quickly, the story still unfolds in a rather pleasing way with a character twist. It’s worth seeing the story though to get the full message. With some guest appearances from Mike Tyson and the late John Witherspoon, I enjoyed this movie more than I expected I would.
Plot & Pace
The pacing of the story is a bit slow at times but begins to speed up once the lead, London runs into her rival and former friend Kristy Kim. It’s also when the plot starts to form. The story follows socialite, London Logo as she is being followed by a British television network that is doing a documentary on her. The network, like the movie itself, is interested in the obsession with certain reality stars and how they came to be successful as well as what they have to do to stay relevant. With different subplots, the movie unwraps many aspects of being social celebrity.
Characters & Chemistry
The chemistry is exactly what you expect from a story like this and the world it’s portraying… fake. Fake people and fake relationships. Done intentionally, of course. Julia Faye West as London Logo is a Paris Hilton type of character and is pretty funny throughout. Added balance to the movie is Kate Orsini who plays Diana Smelt-Marlin, the journalist covering London. The back forth between the two as Smelt-Marlin tries to gain information is the best chemistry in the movie. With performances from Denise Richards and Loren Lester, it’s a fun cast.
Reality Queen! Is now is select theaters and re-released on VOD and DVD today. Enjoy the movie!
Director: Steven Jay Bernheim
Rated: R
Runtime: 84m
Rating: 3 out of 5
Senior Critic. Observing the human race since 1988.
