Everyone loves a good mockumentary, and there’s no denying that. This intriguing yet hilarious subgenre has floured in the last decade with shows like What We Do in the Shadows, The Office, Cunk on Earth, and Abbott Elementary amongst several others that have phenomenal viewership, several awards and accolades, and of course, dedicated fan base. Now joining these shows in the subgenre is Fiasco, now streaming on Netflix.
Fiasco is Netflix’s latest French comedy series which is based on the life of a filmmaker who is ever-so-anxious about directing his first big project. In this review, we will talk about what worked and what didn’t work when it came to Fiasco, which will help you decide whether or not this French series deserves a spot on your watchlist!
Fiasco on Netflix stays true to its title
Igor Gotesman and Pierre Niney’s Fiasco on Netflix is hilarious for most of the run time in every other episode, and viewers will always have something to look forward to when it comes to this comedy series.
It has presented itself as a mockumentary, which immediately puts some pressure on the series as it stands to be compared with shows like The Office. Of course, The Office lasted for several seasons, while Fiasco has only just begun, so it might be an unfair comparison, but it also remains inevitable.
Raphaël Valande is the protagonist of Fiasco, and is played by Niney. From the very first scene until the end of the series, this particular character stays in the focus, and oftentimes, Fiasco loses the opportunity to explore other characters and their comical arcs.
Raphaël is excited and anxious to direct his first feature-length movie, and everything that can go wrong during filming a movie, went wrong, which serves as the foundation of the premise and title of the series. All the hijinks that you can possibly think of, every accident you can imagine on set, have happened on Raphaël’s set in Fiasco.
While Raphaël is the main character of the series, which in addition to being a comedy is also a classic whodunnit, Fisaco also introduces several other characters but doesn’t build up on them. Fiasco is almost too Raphaël-focussed for the series to actually explore other elements that could have really elevated the storyline.
Of course, Niney does a splendid job playing the role of Raphaël in every single episode, but despite that, Fisaco felt incomplete. The charm of the series was at 100% in the beginning, and then eventually dwindled down to 30% by the end of the series.
Nevertheless, Fiasco was funny. It shows an exaggerated image of how movies are made and just how everything can go wrong.
This series’ success will rely heavily on Niney, and the writing as well, which was one of the better parts of Fiasco. As for the series being a Mockumentary, it might need another season or two to get that part right, but it was an above-average attempt.
Conclusion
This series could very easily be a part of your weekend watch, but it might not be the perfect binge if that’s what you are looking for. Do let us know in the comments whether you decided to stream Fiasco, and your thoughts on the same!
