christopher guest be the master of the mockumentary . werner herzog be one of many documentary great out there . zak penn isn not good at either but he could certainly take a lesson from the other two . guest often play around with reality and fiction but the line between the two be always clear in his film and sort of an essential with a mockumentary . penn could also take a lesson from the the blair witch project . even though you know it be a fake documentary go in you totally buy into the world the filmmaker create . it seem to the audience a if the whole thing be real even though you know and deep down and youre watch fiction . in other word and it be fiction successfully disguise a truth . in fact many early audience watch it and at sundance and other premiere audience think it be real . penn and whose forte and by his own admission and be screen write and should probably stick to that . documentary or mockumentary film making ( and it hard to tell where one begin and the other end with this film ) be obviously not . penn set the stage for what he try to sell a a legit documentary on the filming of a documentary and sort of a meta documentary . penn and however and confuse the audience and and lose their trust and from the get go a he enter herzog house before the filming of herzog film and enigma of loch ness about the myth of the loch ness monster ( a film which apparently be never finish probably because of penn interference ) . even though penn be apparently the director of the film be watch and he start it by look at the camera and say and what be the film crew do here . and start shy away from them . he do this on a couple other occasion a well . he will stop and tell the camera to stop filming and thus force the camera guy to hide in the shadow to pick up snippet of dialogue between herzog and penn . it seem to be a gimmick and but that be never make clear and and penn be apparently keep u in the dark intentionally . this leave the audience scratch it head wondering and who be in charge here . if penn be work against his own film crew what kind of a world be we a part of . this be just one of many example of how he confuse the line between reality and fiction . penn seem to only fully enter the fictional world ( i think ) when the crew have sighting of what appear to be the loch ness monster . but by the time the monster make it first appearance we have totally exit the fictional world penn have attempt to create and so it all just seem silly and pointless . this be a potentially fascinating movie and a real missed opportunity in that penn have a chance to document a master at work and but completely lose focus and it become a movie about penn and his antic instead of the filming of a documentary . penn presence begin to pervade and overshadow everything else in the movie . the herzog interview be convince and we actually believe he isn not act . we even start to wonder if he and others on his crew be be dupe by penn and much the way the audience be and but youre never sure of even that . penn and in his interview to the camera and attempt to be quirky and unintentionally funny and like the character interview in a guest mockumentary and but he only succeed in be annoy . in a guest film this effect be hilarious and while here it fall flat because youre never sure what penn be about . a a result we and the audience and start to dislike him as much a the crew apparently do . aside from the beautiful scenery and the superfluous appearance and out of nowhere and of a beautiful model and throw in to give the movie spice and there be little to recommend here . perhaps it only redeeming quality ( an unintentional one at that ) be that it a great example of why the audience be important while and by completely ignore the convention of storytelling your do them a disservice . for that reason alone i think this would be a good film to show to film student sort of a what not to do kind of movie . i have nothing against a movie tell in an unconventional way a long it do skillfully and with a thematic base to give it substance . this film be completely lack in that . i would like to call it a valiant effort at something and but i be not sure what it be and other than a complete mess and ultimately a waste of time . ( a a side note represent it seem like bad art always call to mind good . this film make me think of the book picture by lillian ross . ross follow john huston around during the filming of the red badge of courage and brilliantly document it for the new yorker . it would make a great movie in fact . if you want a great example of meta art and read it . ) .