Beauty is Embarrassing - the Wayne White Documentary: a Review
Some of my favorite music videos include Big Time by Peter Gabriel, and Tonight, Tonight, by The Smashing Pumpkins, so imagine how utterly thrilled I was to finally meet the creator of (some of) the visual effects in those videos. The man, the myth, the legend: (drumroll please…) Wayne White!
Watching this documentary on his creative career was like meeting him in person, and I felt transported into not only his world, but his creative mind as well. The film goes into his Emmy Award winning creative work, and also gives us a look at the trajectory of his life, with his parents, his wife, his children, and his best friends filling in the gaps in a warmhearted, and sometimes droll, affect. The documentary’s journey then takes us into his later life, where it shows us the fruits of his labor.
And this is where we see the real treat of this film. Seeing his creative output in just about every area imaginable: puppetry, animation, illustration, visual effects, graphic design, painting, and sculpture. (Did I miss any?) Seeing his work is a feast for the eyes, and anyone who loves art and creativity is doing themselves a huge favor by watching this.
To hold the interest of the viewer, films like this need a storyline, and this film also delivers in that area. Throughout the film, we see Wayne White working on two masterpieces of puppetry. The first being the caricatured head of Lyndon Johnson, which he designed to fit over his own head a s a sort of mask, taking it out to Hollywood’s Runyon Canyon to amuse the passers by. The second, (the true piece de resistance of the film, and aptly saved for the end,) is a gigantic puppet of the founder of a high school in his home state, which he unveiled to great fanfare.
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The only thing I would change about this film, (which, I reiterate, is very minor,) is that it goes into his roots as a southerner with a bit too much detail, so much so that for a time it distracts from the main aspects of the film. (His banjo and vocal performance of Blue Ridge Mountain Blues, plus his father’s emotional reaction to it, were a little over the top schmaltzy for my taste, and a bit of a snore fest. You have my permission to fast forward through that part, but just know that it’s nowhere near enough to ruin the whole movie.)
Other than that minor detail, I still think this film is a true gem of creative genius, and if you haven’t watched it yet, I highly recommend that you do so. Unfortunately, it is only available on Amazon Prime and Apple TV, and both cost money to rent. If you get either service, and you don’t mind forking over the $3.99 rental fee, then you definitely won’t be disappointed!
Don’t just take my word for it, though. Below is the trailer, which is just a little taste of what’s in store.