Taking audiences on a wild ride, this emotional and humorous award-winning documentary from filmmaker Andrea Marini follows the evolution of the notorious American counterculture artist Joey Skaggs, a fierce proponent of independent thinking and an early critic of media irresponsibility. For decades, he has used viral marketing and guerrilla tactics to make hilarious and meaningful social commentary. He is famed for such media fictions as the Celebrity Sperm Bank, the Cathouse for Dogs, the Fat Squad, and Portofess (a mobile confessional booth). In this critically-acclaimed film, Marini interweaves fascinating archival footage with a singularly unforgettable moment when Skaggs attmepts to pull off the most demanding media hoax of his career.
The resulting film is an emotional journey of will and determination following the evolution of an artist who has dedicated his life to seeking social change by relentlessly challenging the status quo. Filmed in New York, Connecticut, London, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and with unprecedented access to the man and his archives, the 85-minute documentary reveals the man behind the curtain, interweaving his current unfolding hoax with a look behind-the-scenes at some of his classic performance pieces.
"A fascinating documentary that gives insight into the mind and machinations of the world's greatest media prankster, Joey Skaggs...Marini has a ball with the carnival atmosphere as we watch the likes of Mary Hart, Geraldo Rivera, Merv Griffin, half the anchors of CNN, and even Oprah herself succumb to this charming man's folly...Would make a fine movie in any media ethics course...Gives an important historical perspective into the life of the ultimate media prankster." — Journalism & Mass Communication Educator
"Art of the Prank is a laugh-out-loud documentary with a pertinent message for our times, when fake and exaggerated news stories proliferate and people readily believe what they're told instead of investigating and engaging in critical thinking." — Santa Fe New Mexican
"Highly Recommended. [Skagg's] charm is infectious and it is fun to watch him fool the media." — Video Librarian
"Fun and entertaining" — Booklist
"Told with a mischievous glee, the artfulness of this film mirrors its content." — Deadline
"Fun and entertaining" — Booklist
"The hoax with the most. Joey Skaggs, prank artist par excellence [...] is the subject of this voyeuristic film." — Indiewire
"Recommended. Skaggs' pranks are more a way just to get a good laugh at the expense of the gullible media. One has to salute him on his creativity in devising them." — Educational Media Reviews Online
"Both an upbeat summary of decades of mischief...and an intimate portrait of an earnest man earnestly engaged in the business of tomfoolery." — The New York Observer
"One of the best pranksters in history, Skaggs has consistently exposed the chronic gullibility of the American news media. We see him provide comical and sometimes biting commentary on society in Art of the Prank, all carried out with deadpan precision." — Fandor
"Timely as the election cycle rolls out the propaganda, The Art of the Prank reveals how gullible we really are." — Denver Huffington Post
Citation
Main credits
Marini, Andrea (film director)
Marini, Andrea (film producer)
Drosd, Judy (film producer)
Malfetta, Michele (film producer)
Skaggs, Joey (on-screen participant)
Other credits
Cinematography, Ben Carey, Andrea Marini; editing, Emanuele Muscolino, Andrea Marini; music, Philip Abussi.
