Peter McGinn (September 17, 2020)

Between downloads and streaming services, I have way too many shows and movies lined up to watch. This documentary on the Fyre Festival has been waiting for me for a long time. So today I figured the reason I haven’t watched it might point to the possibility I could start watching it, not like it, and get it off my waiting list. But, as you might guess, I ended up watching the entire film. It won’t get any hyperbole from me for being the best of this or totally awesome at that, but it is entertaining and informative, if only as yet another warning that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. It describes how wealthy or moderately well off customers were duped and ripped off by an affable and persuasive entrepreneur named Billy McIntire who built a huge house of cards music festival through deceit and fraud and gullibility. It is almost difficult to feel sorry for some of those well-off victims. They will live to spend again. The ones I feel bad about are the regular people, especially on the island where it was to be held, who performed work for the Festival and were never paid, a common trick used by wealthy, lying, immoral “lawyered-up” businessmen. What is almost as bad as the crime itself is the subsequent total lack of remorse as a Billy lived the high life and moved on to his next scam. Perhaps Billy’s conviction will at least prevent him from running for office. Anyway, this film won’t change your life, but it is instructive in small ways and entertaining.