“Shot in the Dark”
Reviewed by: Megan Sperry
Its that time of year where children reflect on what their parents mean to them. First you have Mother’s Day in May, then Father’s Day in June. To a child who has been raised by both his parents, these holidays can go by without any negative feelings. But to a child who has not been raised by both his parents, these national holidays can drum up resentment and sadness.
In the HBO documentary film “Shot in the Dark” directed by Entourage’s Adrian Grenier, a son searches to reconnect with his estranged father. Grenier doesn’t only direct the doc, but he stars in it too. “Shot in the Dark” is a film that follows him on his journey to find his father after 18 years of not seeing him.
Most people know Grenier because of his popularity on the hit HBO show “Entourage”, but this film was made in 1999 way before Grenier could anticipate that type of success. In this film Grenier allows the public to share this rollercoaster ride of feelings and emotions with him.
Through interviews with his mother, mother’s friends, grandparents, and his father’s sister and family, he gets to know his father through their eyes. He listens attentively to their stories and he waits patiently for the reunion. When that day comes, the awkwardness is a bit overwhelming for the viewer as it feels to private to be public.
As Grenier gets to know his father he starts to understand a different side of the story. In spending time together their similarities are so apparent that any question of John not being Grenier's biological father is disregarded. Everything seems pretty great for the two of them, but one thing stands in there way, space and Debbie.
Debbie, John’s wife who has come between the two in the past makes it hard for the two to fully connect. She has been known to hang up on a young Grenier and even change their number so they could not be reached. But by the end of the film Grenier and Debbie make peace and she apologizes on camera. And then everyone is happy.
The film is interesting as the story unfolds and all the different points of view start to make sense. At times its seems too awkward to be experiencing this type of emotion in front of the camera, but that makes for raw footage. All the characters are well chosen and the message is very clear and inspiring. Grenier deserves respect for putting such an emotional message out there, especially after becoming a celebrity.
Official grades for “Shot in the Dark” on a scale of A-F
- Story- A
- Acting- N/A
- Visuals- B
- Originality/ Innovation- B
- Enjoyablity- B
- Overall- B
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