Fast, Cheap & Out of Control (1997)

Director:

Errol Morris

Release Date:

3 October 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

What do an elderly topiary gardener, a retired lion tamer, a man fascinated by mole rats, and a cutting-edge robotics designer have in common...

Plot Keywords:

Lion | Lion Taming | Naked Mole Rat | Obsession | Robot

Awards:

8 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Dave Hoover	...	Himself (Wild Animal Trainer)
George Mendonça	...	Himself (Topiary Gardener)
Raymond A. Mendez	...	Himself (Mole-Rat Specialist) (as Ray Mendez)
Rodney Brooks	...	Himself - Robot Scientist

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:G | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Green Animals Topiary Garden - Cory's Lane off Rt. 114, Portsmouth, Rhode Island, USA

Company:

American Playhouse

Quotes:

[On creating topiary]
George Mendonca: This is all done from memory. If you know what a animal looks like, you just, well, you just start making an animal.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ten Minute Flick School: Fast, Cheap and in Control (2004) (V)

My opinion of genius

It's amazing how one film can warrant such diverse audience opinion about "what it all means". That which I took away from this movie is a concept of God's existence that is nothing short of genius. I'm not saying that this is the director's intention...it's only what I took from it.

Four Gods absorbed completely and differently in their four worlds:

1. Artistic God - the gardener - the God who spends his days creating the world for man to live in. "This is my world. I don't care how you live in it, but don't mess it up." Because man has freewill, God is uninvolved in man's evolution.

2. The Bully God - the lion tamer - the God who rules the world with discipline. "This is my world. Do as I say and nobody gets hurt." God won't let man evolve out of fear of losing physical superiority.

3. The Control Freak God - the mole rat scientist - the God who controls man's life. "This is my world. Live in it, but I will observe, limit, and dictate what you do." God won't let man evolve out of fear of losing mental superiority.

4. The Free Thinking God - the robotics engineer - the God who aids and improves man's life with only one commandment/program...respect. "This is our world. We share it. Live in it as you please. I am not expecting you to be perfect. All I am asking for is that you treat each other with mutual respect." Together, we evolve into our creation.

This is the God which I prefer.