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"How could he possibly have done something this outlandish?" Neon has revealed an official trailer for a documentary film called Bad Actor, which plays more like a horror film than an actual documentary about something real. The full title is Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme - wannabe actor Zachary Horwitz was desperate to make it big as a movie star. The only thing stopping him was talent. This doc is a juicy true story about deception, denial, fraud, and the seductive promise of fame and fortune. It premiered at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and is already on VOD to watch now. "With shocking revelations at every turn, the film questions the fabric of the entertainment business, where a fake it till you make it mentality blurs the lines between reality and facade in the cutthroat pursuit of success. It explores the vulnerability of investors who fell prey to Horwitz's...

Trailers are supposed to build buzz for a film. People watch the footage, get excited about the film, and then, eventually, buy tickets to see the project in theaters or on digital. But typically, these trailers are shown well before the release. That’s not the case for “Bad Actor.” If you watch the trailer and enjoy it, then good news! You can watch the film right now.

Read More: 2024 Fall Film Preview: 50 Movies To Watch

As seen in the trailer, “Bad Actor” tells the unbelievable true story of aspiring actor Zachary Horwitz.

Continue reading ‘Bad Actor’ Trailer: A Wannabe Actor Runs A Ponzi Scheme In Neon’s New Doc at The Playlist.

“Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme” centers on an immensely interesting subject — financial fraudster and D-List actor Zach Horwitz, a.k.a. Zach Avery — but ends up telling his tale in uninteresting ways. The film draws its various techniques from far better and more accomplished documentaries, resulting in a multifaceted, mixed-bag approach that never clicks, thanks in large part to how the movie chooses to reveal information.

Director Joslyn Jensen appears on-screen early into the runtime and becomes a primary character in the film. She’s as much a subject as Avery and his various victims — people he befriended over the years and scammed out of millions of dollars. But Jensen is also a deeply uninteresting focal point who takes up far too much of the screentime. By centering her to the degree that it does, “Bad Actor” becomes a film about process on multiple fronts.

On one hand, the...

Spoiler Warning: This story contains plot details from “Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme,” which premiered Thursday at Tribeca Festival.

Just how easy is it to get duped?

It’s the central question of “Bad Actor: A Hollywood Ponzi Scheme,” a documentary that premieres this week at Tribeca Festival and details aspiring movie star Zach Avery (aka Horwitz) who defrauded investors of out $227 million and pulled off the entertainment industry’s biggest Ponzi scheme. Nobody ever believes they’d be the ones dumb enough to ignore the red flags and fall prey to such a hoax. So then how exactly did Horwitz, a D-list actor with no notable credits, deceive so many people? Director Joslyn Jensen, who appears throughout the film while interviewing law enforcement, scam victims and people who know Horwitz, ultimately discovered it’s way easier than you’d think to get tricked.

After all, she didn’t actually direct the film.