Jake Paul is undoubtedly one of the most hated fighters and personalities in the world today. But that also makes him a great smart promoter. Leaning on his "problem kid" persona, many would agree that Jake Paul has financially helped lift boxing from a desperate position. However, in doing so, some would argue that he, too, tarnishes boxing's reputation forever. Whether you love him or hate him, Jake Paul undoubtedly packs arenas.
The latest Untold documentary takes a look at Jake Paul's rise to infamy, but at only 70 minutes it's not a particularly in-depth look. It's also riddled with inaccuracies and clever editing to paint Paul as this misunderstood anti-hero instead of shedding light and highlighting some of the more controversial parts of his past.
Director: Andrew Renzi
Stars: Jake Paul, Logan Paul, Greg Paul
The opening segments of the film address Paul's rise to Influencer status. “I remember when they made the word 'influencer', that was us. They were talking about us." Jake says proudly at one point. It's just... that's not true. Jake Paul started on Vine in 2013, but the Influencer phenomenon started in 2009 with Alfie Deyes, Tanya Zoella, PewDiePie, etc.
This is just one example of that misinformation, but the movie continues in this vein with a distinct lack of dates to put things on a consistent timeline. Most of the movie follows Paul's boxing career, which feels like a clever promotional ploy, especially given Jake Paul's upcoming fight with Nate Diaz.
While there's an objective critique here, it's leveled predominantly through TV snippets or little soundbites from personalities in the studios rather than speakerphone interviews. To be fair, there are a couple of interviews with the Fury family, and one in particular with Paul's advisor Nakisa Bidarian, that are interesting but few and far between.
What's particularly amusing here is the constant recurring criticism that Jake Paul only fights ex-pro boxers or UFC fighters, something he himself admits to. To combat that, the movie builds on the climactic fight with Tommy Fury... and glosses over the fact that Paul's next boxing match is against a UFC star.
The biggest problem with this documentary is that there is definitely a deeper story to be told here. Much of the drama of the early days with Jake Paul is completely glossed over. His rise to Influencer infamy is all but relegated to a montage, save for a discussion of endorsement fees, and then we're right into the larger-than-life personality to break into boxing. And of course, along the way we completely ignored the accusations that were leveled against him.
Untold: Jake Paul the Problem Child isn't a bad documentary per se, it just isn't particularly comprehensive or revealing either. This is basically a fluffy piece, full of falsehoods and distortion of the truth.
Jake Paul is certainly a great promoter and he plays the villain perfectly. He's a smart guy and knows exactly how to fill arenas, and there's certainly no doubt that he's worked hard to build that larger-than-life personality. It's too bad that same hard work didn't go into making a decent, objective documentary about the guy.
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