This is not Entourage. Rather, Adrian Grenier is attempting to provide some star power to this documentary, which focuses on eir desire to meet with a father that ey does not know. Shot in the Dark represents Grenier’s chance of possibly reconnecting with eir father and establishing some sort of rappour with someone that ey just did not know. The amount of work that Grenier does at the beginning part of the film to reconnect with eir father is impressive; along with a number of face to face interactions, there are also countless calls and further planning after eir father, John, agrees to meet.
Lancaster, Ohio is where John lives, and it represents a considerable change from New York City. This rough and frankly depressing town (and I can speak from experience, living there for 18 years) represents the perfect response to the much more bright experience of Grenier. Interacting with John’s parents as well as a number of different parents and children, Grenier begins to realize the enormous task that ey has entered into. Merely leaving Grenier was not an easy choice for John, and the truth of the situation is considerably different for Grenier than ey previously thought.
There are a few extras present on this release. The commentaries that are laid down by Grenier, Jim Mol, and Jonathan Davidson are particularly illuminating, filling in viewers in a way that Shot in the Dark’s main feature does not always do. The extra interview footage allows for further context to be given, and fills out Shot in the Dark nicely. I was not a fan of Entourage, but Grenier’s extremely emotional effort here gives me a desire to check out the show again. Buy Shot in the Dark if you like your documentaries emotion-inducing.
Rating: 7.1/10
Shot in the Dark (DVD) / 2011 HBO / 85 Minutes / http://www.hbo.com