Rating: 4/5 stars
“American Vandal” is a refreshing addition to comedy and crime documentaries. In recent years, Netflix has made it a pattern to release true crime documentaries such as “Making a Murderer,” “Amanda Knox,” “13th,” “Casting JonBenet” and now “American Vandal.” Basically the biggest difference between them is that “American Vandal” is fictitious. If the premise of the story were not ridiculously hilarious, viewers might not be able to tell.
The new mockumentary series follows young filmmakers Peter Maldonado (Tyler Alvarez, “Orange is the New Black”) and Sam (Griffin Gluck, “The Mick”) as they investigate a vandalism case at their high school in which 27 penises were spray-painted on 27 cars and burnout loser Dylan Maxwell (Jimmy Tatro, “Boo! A Madea Halloween”) was convicted and expelled with no hard evidence. The series is set up with a serious tone, which makes the stories funnier.
Much like Netflix’s “Making a Murderer,” the series is soaked with a dark aesthetic, mysterious theme song and beautiful cinematography. The characters’ serious approach to the situation parodies the crime documentary in great fashion. The best part of “American Vandal” is how it is written.
The jokes are funny and weirdly original for a show based around cartoon penises. The series is full of little details and exciting twists and turns every episode. The series looks at the crime as if it were a much more serious one. With a compelling story, the secrets unfold and mysteries are solved. “American Vandal” is a story that focuses on teenagers in today’s society that are influenced heavily by social media.
The series is able to use social media as a tool in its story, but not in a way that exaggerates or overuses it. While many new television shows and movies often use social media to relate to teenagers and incorrectly apply it, “American Vandal” uses the platform correctly and does not make it seem tacky.
Much can be said about the acting in the show. Tyler Alvarez as Maldonado is perfect. Alvarez was mostly known for his acting as a recurring character on “Orange is the New Black” and a Nickelodeon show, “Every Witch Way.”
His character is not always seen on screen, but through voiceovers, he portrays a high school sophomore with a love for movies and a passion for solving the crime. Jimmy Tatro plays the subject of the documentary, the accused Dylan Maxwell.
Tatro masters the role perfectly and brings layers to a seemingly stupid, immature character. “American Vandal” differs from the modern mockumentary. Most mockumentaries like “The Office,” “Modern Family” or “Parks and Recreation” are clearly comedic and not crime-centered. “American Vandal” differs from the sitcom platform and takes a new format as a satire of some of Netflix’s most popular work. “American Vandal” is a refreshing comedy unlike anything viewers have seen.
Between the many penis jokes, “ball hairs” and crude humor, there lies more meaning. The show can be watched in a little over four hours, and will be remembered for so much longer.
Photo: Netflix via YouTube.com
