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‘Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme’ Review: A Dull Documentary About a Fascinating Showbiz Grifter
"Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme" explores grifter Zach Avery's exploits in Hollywood, but the filmmaking isn't as interesting as its subject.
As a bad-to-decent actor who just wanted to be on-screen, he paid his way into minor roles and eventually fabricated distributions contracts with heavy-hitters like Netflix, resulting in a lengthy Ponzi scheme that the film explains in detail. Instead, Jensen usually appears on screen to give the details of Avery’s crimes to the camera (or have the basics of a Ponzi scheme explained to her), placing “Bad Actor” somewhere in the realm of a poorly-produced YouTube video essay. All this eventually leads to a big reveal about the film’s production, which can technically be compared to Bart Layton’s “The Imposter” — it’s meant to make audiences question who they trust and whether they too would’ve been fooled by Avery’s schemes.
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