Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997)

An exploration of the careers of four unrelated professionals: a lion tamer, a robotics expert, a topiary gardener, and a naked mole rat specialist.

Director:

Errol Morris

Stars:

Dave Hoover, George Mendonça, Rodney Brooks

11 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dave Hoover	...	Himself (Wild Animal Trainer)
George Mendonça	...	Himself (Topiary Gardener)
Raymond A. Mendez	...	Himself (Mole-Rat Specialist) (as Ray Mendez)
Rodney Brooks	...	Himself - Robot Scientist

Storyline

What do an elderly topiary gardener, a retired lion tamer, a man fascinated by mole rats, and a cutting-edge robotics designer have in common? Both nothing and everything in this unconventional documentary directed by Erroll Morris. Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (Referring to the robot specialist's strange philosophy of robot design structure, not Erroll Morris's documentary techniques!) interplays, overlaps, and interrelates these four separate and highly specialized documentary subjects in order to in truth study all of humanity, raising questions about the future of mankind.

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Plot Keywords:

robot | lion | topiary | cult film | eccentric | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for mild thematic elements

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ektos elenhou

Filming Locations:

Green Animals Topiary Garden - Cory's Lane off Rt. 114, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$23,665, 5 October 1997, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$832,785, 11 January 1998

Company Credits

Production Co:

American Playhouse,Fourth Floor Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Included among the "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", edited by Steven Schneider.

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Quotes

[On pointing the four legs of a chair in a lion's face]
Dave Hoover: His mind now has been completely distracted from his original thought: "Eat the man in the white pants."

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Out of Sight/Smoke Signals/Doctor Dolittle/Picnic at Hanging Rock/Insomnia (1998)

User Reviews

Morris focuses

This was easily the best film of 1997.

Morris has tried it all; one camera documentary, for Gates of Heaven; Rashomon tinged storytelling, with The Thin Blue Line; and now, finally, the beautiful and moving Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control.

In the earlier films, the viewer's left with the task of sifting through lots of unedited information to put together his own story from what's been gathered, rather like Ed Wood going through rolls of archival footage to see if there's a movie there. In this one, Morris had a story to tell, and he goes after it with aplomb and purpose. His camera angles are ingenious, his use of slow motion masterful, and the story--that the personality traits that lead to success are the same, regardless of the stripe of the pursuit--comes along gently. Once the connection's been made, he overlaps the voice of one participant over the work of another, and the resonances between all of them become more and more apparent.

Watching Morris come along as a filmmaker is a little like watching a favorite cousin come of age. This movie makes you want to cheer, not only for Morris, but for the cast of misfits he's put on film who've taken their lives and made something of them. These four men are workers. They're not managers, not victims of dumb luck. They're doing these jobs because they love them, and because they love them and work without pause, they've become successful. They're not geniuses. Like Morris, they've merely managed to focus. Morris shows us what a rare thing that is. Bravo.