The film tells the story of Thierry Guetta, store-owner, aspiring film maker and insanely likable despite his immense stupidity. But all the graffiti writers have that kinda charm. Shepard Fairey aka Obey, is introduced at a Kinko's with his girlfriend cutting up a giant poster to later illegally hang. Space Invader, one of the many graffiti artists to have his face blurred, started off in his parents garage in France. Even Banksy, the king of graffiti, tells the story about how, for a prank, he forged about a million pounds and threw them into the street. Not until later does he realize the seriousness of the situation, and even then he seems to see it as a particularly funny prank.
Thierry seems all to happy with his life, he sells shirts from thrift stores for hundreds of dollars to various LA bigwigs. He has a wife who is nice and accepting, healthy children and an obsession with videotaping. Oh yes that last thing, Thierry never goes anywhere without it, he lives life through the viewfinder always taping. It really doesn't hit you till Thierry shows you his collection of tapes. Thousands upon thousands of tapes tossed in boxes. That alone is good enough for the best episode of Horders ever, but something happens to Thierry. He meets his cousin. Well that is to say, he meets Space Invader, street artist extraordinaire.
Thierry is soon wrapped up in the whirlwind of street art, and he's there filming it all, claiming to be making a documentary. Eventually he meets his idol and the white whale of graffiti enthusiast, Banksy. Banksy takes a shining to Guetta. He lets him film his secrets, his methods and lets him go along on one of his more dangerous missions. Namely, putting a inflatable doll dressed as a Gitmo prisoner in Disney Land on the anniversary of 9/11. Yea, he's that kinda guy.
As street art makes it big with Banksy setting records at Sotheby's Auction House and Obey now having a Hot Wheel car made from his art, Banksy tells Thierry to make the documentary. Thierry fails miserably, making an abomination of a film called Life Remote Control. Banksy, realizing as he puts it, "that he might just some crazy dude with a camera" decides to take the project and off handily tells him to do some art. A suggestion Thierry goes a bit too far with, putting on a full show, risking his house in the process.
The cast is as weird and quirky as you would expect. Thierry as said is insane and a little bit of a douchebag, but still weirdly likable. Banksy is mainly unseen, but his constant quips at both his and Thierry's work helps drive the film and makes for some funny yet interesting stuff. I have to say the breakout guy in this is Shepard Fairey. He comes across like that one guy in college who kept to himself, but if you ever talked to him he was brimming with interesting ideas. We see his rise from small time to big time and it's actually a very intersting story on it's own.His best moment comes when he walks around Thierry's art and gives the camera a slightly bemused expression, seeming to say "What the fuck did I do?"
Not only will this please street art fans but regular movie goers will be happy to get a glimpse into a world still very underground. Plus I haven't even got to the the the final third which raises question such as "what is art?" The film decides not to answer that, dumping the unsuspecting audience into a huge debate, when all they wanted to see is a movie about a guy breaking the law.
