I don't actually review every single television programme I watch. sometimes I watch things that aren't comedies. And sometimes I watch things that aren't supposed to be comedies but turn out to be hilarious, watch-through-your-fingers instant classics. And that's the case with Fyre, the Netflix documentary about the disastrous Fyre Festival in the Bahamas in 2017.
As I was 'off-duty' when I watched this I didn't take notes. But I didn't really need too. As the story unfolded it was pretty unforgettable. This was supposed to be the best festival ever. In the end it was the ultimate organisational clusterfuck. A warning from history for anyone who has ever considered getting into the promotion game. If you look up the word Schadenfreude in the dictionary there should be a picture of storm-sodden mattresses from the luxury campsite. Or maybe a picture of the cheese sandwiches they had to eat.
It was clear things were not being done in the best manner when it turned out that one of the pilots had taught himself to fly using Microsoft Flight Simulator. (I don't know, maybe that's normal, but it certainly sounded funny). Oh, and the location of the festival had to be moved and the new location simply didn't have the infrastructure to support the festival.
But then this was not your normal festival. Influencers were paid thousands of dollars to post Instagram shots of bikini-clad lovelys frolicking and having fun. If you paid thousands of dollars you could be joining them. And watching Blink 182 as well. But behind the pool parties there were problems. In one classic scene we hear about how one of the people involved had to agree to suck someone's dick to get a shipment of water delivered. There's taking one for the team and then there's taking one for the team. You'll have to watch the documentary to see how it panned out.
Some might argue that the millennials with too much money who paid up got everything they deserved. My only bit of sympathy – apart from for the local caterer who lost thousands and paid her staff out of her savings – was when on the eve of the Festival the organisers were having a celebratory drink when the heavens unexpectedly opened. Maybe God hates millennials too. But whether it would have all gone smoothly if the rain had stayed away is another matter. Blink 182 cancelled before arriving, which may have been the smartest thing they have ever done.
And there you were thinking that the recent Bros documentary was the funniest thing you've seen recently. Fyre might just have topped it.
Watch Fyre on Netflix now.
