directed by:
Cameron Smith written by: Cameron Smith genre: Documentary |
“I’m just gonna be myself until someone likes it and it works out.” Awwww. Cameron Smith is really just a boy looking for love. Who can’t relate to that? Let’s set the record straight right off the bat here – Cameron is not an incel. While it’s true that he was striking out for years before he had his first girlfriend, and eventually even cashed out his first significant relationship for the pursuit of fame & fortune, Cameron still kept an eye out for the potential of love even in his darkest times. How dark are those dark times? Pretty damn dark to tell you the truth. Or so far as we’re led to believe based on this autobiographical documentary he’s put together. Dude’s got a gift for gallows humor…that’s probably what I noticed most at the beginning. Anyone who is lucky enough to have that kind of thought process knows full well how it’s a complete blessing and a curse at the same time. A blessing because you see the world from this remarkably warped perspective that will go on to be very different from the majority of people you’ll ever meet. A curse because having that kind of view of the world and twisted sense of humour that comes along with it - can be one of the most viciously isolating types of personalities there can be on this planet. To the point where you end up making a movie completely about yourself, which is also intended to be like a pilot/part one of eight episodes called “The Loneliest Boy On Earth.” You’ve probably had some bad days in your life, but you never grabbed your camera and decided to put all that stuff onscreen for the whole world to witness, right?
Don’t panic…he’ll mention the narcissistic factor in this equation here, and probably before you even thought about it for the first time yourself. But yes, it’s fair to say there’d have to be something along those kinds of lines involved when you’re the Writer, Director, Star, and subject of your own entire series. You’ll learn about some of the influences on him, for better or worse. You’ve got artistic visionaries like David Lynch, for example – that’s a great influence to have on a person trying to figure out how to go about creating art! You’ve also got the flipside of the coin, with the faux-intellectualism of an asshat like Jordan Peterson as well…so…there’s that. “I figured out how to monetize social justice warriors,” says Peterson, the former Canadian, turned internet goblin. While Smith is at a particularly impressionable time where he’s yearning for a kernel of truth, he stumbled onto Peterson pretending that truth is what he gives the public in a series of his rambling speeches designed to manipulate the minds of the masses. Don’t go rolling your eyes just yet – hell, MANY of you reading this have probably even taken a slight or deep dive down that rabbit hole yourself in this lifetime. Let’s not give up on Cameron just yet, okay? Does it worry me that Smith credits Peterson with his own spiritual awakening? Of course it does. Is that because I fundamentally disagree with just about everything that falls out of Peterson’s mouth? Not really. I’d even tell you there are many things he says that I do agree with. When it comes to Peterson, it’s way more about a question of his motivations and how those can coincide with “truth.” Let’s be real here, though – Cameron has lived what so many of us would consider to be a blessed life, or at least a life you might happily consider trading for your own…at least at points. The guy was even at a party put on by Prince, where he met Dave Chappelle! C’mon y’all…you gotta admit that Cameron has done alright for himself. While he’s generally been a background actor for much of what he’s been in throughout his career, he’s also made his own films…kind of? The pandemic killed his movie “Black Hole.” So then he decided to go and be a rapper and a stand-up comedian instead. While it isn’t exactly easy to Google “Cameron Smith” to verify that all the stuff he’s claiming is real, the past photos and footage he adds to this documentary do present the events he’s talking about as being factual. Or so it seems anyhow. One of the things I loved more about watching “The Loneliest Boy On Earth” is that I don’t think I’ve ever witnessed the quintessential ‘unreliable narrator’ quite like this before. Can any of us believe a thing that Cameron is saying? Is any of this real? Is everything he does based on sarcasm? You’ve gotta give this guy some major credit for how much he’s blurred the lines between fact & fiction. You won’t even be a fifth of the way into this film before you realize that the more details he provides, the more you can really start digging into your internet searches and find dead end after dead end. It’s entirely because of Cameron that we try to fact-check him, because this life he’s leading can’t be based in reality, right? So then you really start to have to wonder how he managed to fill in all these incredible pieces of his backstory in with old footage and bad haircuts, or if there are at least a few fragments of this tale that could have a kernel of truth to them. Whether they are or they’re not, he’s also made me watch more clips of Jordan Peterson than I would wish on my own worst enemy. Smith’s an evil genius. It certainly seems like there are enough pieces of the puzzle that are real here – he has, in fact, released albums as Camboi Smif – they exist. There are four albums and an EP, all available for free at Bandcamp. The way that Smith makes you question every piece of information along the way is devilishly delightful. And the guy IS objectively funny. This whole concept, idea, performance, and the commitment it would take to go through with it all, is definitely funny. That’s not me saying you’re going to be laughing out loud the entire time you’re watching “The Loneliest Boy On Earth” – you won’t – but because of the fact that you can’t seem to rely on anything he says or does as ‘truth’ – this movie stays relentlessly amusing. In that sense, it’s almost more Mystery than Comedy as we try to figure out what is and what isn’t real. His commitment to self-deprecation here would make Bo Burnham or Tom Green in his prime blush red. The movie is also filmed in such a wonderfully weird way that there’s always something to keep you interested and watching, whether it’s Cameron’s antics, the flashback footage, or the effects he’s using along the way, there are many reasons to check out “The Loneliest Boy On Earth.” I’m not suggesting that it couldn’t have used a trim here & there – it is lengthy at the size of your average Marvel movie, and the superhero at the center of it all is clearly far less benevolent than what we’re all used to seeing. But sure, if this was cut into like, thirty-minute chunks or something like that to make a series out of this, and there was nothing else on when I woke up on the couch at three in the morning…yeah, I’d watch it. He’s right on the edge of this being a podcast of his own if you ask me. If it wasn’t for the cool shit that he chooses to show us along the way, the vast majority of “The Loneliest Boy On Earth” is completely narrated, which might be one of those things that’ll work for some people and not for others, I suppose. At its best, his narration is extremely effective and intriguing. At its worst, it’s like listening to an ASMR video, with every single word dripping in drama, pronounced like Cameron giving lessons on language.
“I am a textbook loser,” he says. I still think the guy would be a killer hang. Smith’s mind is so entirely and totally twisted that you just know if he were around, it certainly wouldn’t be a normal night by any measure. I feel like watching Cameron’s story onscreen warped my own perspective by proxy. I am no longer positive that I know what’s real and what is not. What I am sure of is that Smith is undeniably watchable. To draw a comparison that might make a little bit of sense, watching this film is very much like witnessing the early work of someone like Seth Green in the same kind of way that no one out there would have realized just how much of a genius he’d go on to become from where he started way back when. There were crumbs, there were clues – and that’s what “The Loneliest Boy On Earth” will go on to be for Cameron Smith years from now, when we’re all seeing him in every show and movie produced.Personally, I think the moral of this story is crystal clear – the words of Jordan Peterson will F**K you up, and it’s probably best to stay far, far away from him. I kept expecting Chris Hansen to pop out of the closet at any moment with the melodramatic music and mysterious filming. One of the most insightful moments that you’ll see in this film is a series of interview clips of people talking about who Cameron Smith really is. They’re all people who know him as well as anyone probably COULD know him, and even they are as confounded by his existence as we are by watching this film of his. What they all seem to respect, however, is his commitment to art as he sees it, and how art is part of his core DNA. Is that because he’s right there in the room with them as they’re being interviewed? I’ll let you decide. Look…I recognize that “The Loneliest Boy On Earth” is not going to be for everybody, just like Cameron himself knows that HE is not for everybody as well. Now go back and read the opening quote in this review, and you’ll understand him just that much more. There are no apologies required, because there are no holds barred and no f**ks given – if you get what he does and you’re into it, he’ll be stoked to have you aboard the bandwagon. If you don’t get what he’s doing, you’re probably in the majority, and there’s a very Kaufman-esque attitude to him that feels like Smith really wouldn’t want it any other way. To me, it’s absolutely clear that he’s thinking on another level than most of us ever could or would ever dare to, but it’s that exact kind of fearlessness (and a bit of narcissism, yes) that’ll take him to that next phase of his career and continually propel him to be involved in entertainment in a full variety of ways. As it stands, there’s not a doubt in my mind that “The Loneliest Boy On Earth” is long – too long for the masses without question – but if you have the extra time to learn about one seriously quirky character in the industry, this movie could be a huge hit with you. I think the potential for Smith to make a series out of this is definitely justifiable…he’s got the roots of something special here, and now it’s all about finding a way to refine it just enough to not compromise his vision, but put it in the realm of something that the people will watch. Largely, that’s simply going to be cutting things down to a more palatable length so that our short attention spans will be able to absorb all the intricate details he’s added into this zany story about a man who is so outside of the societal norms that he may never find his way back. I like the story of an outsider though. I think those out there like Cameron that challenge what we think we know about art, the concepts of being a celebrity, and what makes a life worth living. I mean, Smith has essentially invited us all in to the inside of his head to view the world through his own strange lens, and I’ve got a lot of love for that. I’m willing to give this three stars out of five. I think he definitely needs someone to stand over his shoulder and help him be more objective about what does or doesn’t work/need to be included and rein him in a bit, but I feel like Smith proudly wields his differences as the advantages they truly are. No normal perspectives have ever led to anything memorable, and it’s by being different that you potentially put yourself in the conversation, forever. Maybe he’ll find love one day, maybe he won’t – I don’t know. I get the sense that as long as the world itself finds a way to love Cameron, that’ll give him the sense of self-worth he’s looking for…or at least bring him to completion. |
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