jlthornb51 Directed with insight and affection by Michael Paul Stephenson, this is a superbly powerful documentary exploring the cult horror film, Troll 2, and those involved in making that cinematic entity. This film's foundation is Troll 2's star, George Hardy, a practicing dentist who hadn't made any screen appearances since 1990's infamous production. Through his reaction to the movie's popularity and status as one of the worst motion pictures ever made, we share in his wonder and mystification. Other cast members are rediscovered and interviewed, often revealing moving stories, and that is one of the strengths of Stephenson's work. He is unafraid to reveal the pathos, the passion, and the broken lives that followed production. Not all is hilarity. There is something quite tragic and sad as well. The confrontation between the Italian director and the cast members is both funny and uncomfortable in that the bitterness the director feels toward people who he put in his film to only have them degrade it is quite understandable. He is an artist and his actors can never equal his long resume. However, that is an important insight into the creative mind and blends well with the documentary's examination of Troll 2's process and ultimate fate.

Mr-Fusion Mismarketed as a documentary that seeks to deduce how bad movies get made, "Best Worst Movie" spotlights the cultural impact of "Troll 2", widely considered the worst movie ever made. The principal cast of "Troll 2" were either too young or too inexperienced to realize they were making such a hilariously bad flick. And you can't help but feel sorry for these people as they describe having to come to grips with their involvement in said debacle, back in 1989. But that sympathy doesn't last ling, as they grow to embrace their ironic fame. The funniest parts of "Best Worst Movie" (aside from clips of "Troll 2") are the raucous crowds at the revival screenings, and the cast's own reenactments of the best (worst) scenes from the movie. What's staggering is that the director has no idea he made a terrifically terrible movie. To him, it's a parable that examines the important everyday issues (life, death, food, family). Even when attending a midnight screening, the guys has no idea the movie is celebrated for being so awful.The documentary loses its way in the second half, as it focuses on the lead actor, George Hardy (a small-town dentist) and his time spent languishing at various fan and horror conventions where few have heard of "Troll 2". But the good definitely outweighs the bad here, as this is a thoroughly enjoyable film.I have never seen "Troll 2", and we simply need to fix that.7/10

MaximumMadness Oh, "Troll 2", how I love thee! Yes, the 1990 "horror" film that doesn't even have trolls in it is widely considered to be one of the worst films ever created. (Even holding the #1 worst spot on this site at one time) It's one of those "so-bad-that-it's-good" movies- the film is just so fundamentally flawed in every way that it becomes strangely watchable and enjoyable. It ranks up there with "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and "The Room" as some of the Best-Worst movies. (Hence, this hilarious documentary's title.)"Best Worst Movie" is directed by the child "star" of "Troll 2", Michael Stephenson, as he analyzes the impact the film has made, and gives us glimpses at the lives of the principal actors involved.And it is a heart-felt, nostalgic ride, filled with great real-life "characters" and some touching moments. We mainly follow George Hardy, who played Stephenson's father in the film. He is a decent, divorced father with a teenaged daughter, a nice house and a successful dentist office. He's your small-town, friendly guy. Everyone loves him- even his ex-wife, who appears in the movie to speak on his behalf. We also meet a good portion of the other actors, and learn about the troubled production of "Troll 2" (including shooting with a foreign crew that didn't speak English, and working with a director whom doesn't seem too open to criticism or suggestions), and how many of the actors tried to forget about it. Of course, films like these never die, and the film became a cult classic for its unintentional awfulness and hilarious acting. The YouTube generation especially has made it into a sort of Holy Bible of Bad Movies.So we follow George and the others, as they slowly reclaim "Troll 2", and enjoy the success it has found. It's a lot of fun seeing George in particular, who you can tell actually enjoys acting, running around and giddily telling people about how he was in the "worst movie ever" with a smile. He's so happy to have been part in something so notable, and it's quite touching how much joy he can make out of it, when such a thing would jade most other people.There isn't a whole lot that happens in this documentary, to be honest. No real underlying theme or message, per say. But it is still a fun analysis of a pop-culture, cult icon, and those involved with it. There is also some extremely unexpected emotion in a few key scenes, including a sequence where Stephenson and George track down the actress who portrayed the mother in the film- only to learn that she has become reclusive, delusional and is clearly "out of touch." It added a weight to the film that I quite admired.I really enjoyed this. It's not the strongest documentary, but it's one of the "funnest" (I know that's not a word), and is a joy to watch. I give it a great 9 out of 10.

john-duffy21 I saw Troll 2 years and years ago with my brother and we loved it (we were 10 and 8) then again about 3 years ago with a group of friends and we hated it, and when I checked I was not surprised that it is known as the worst film ever. So when I heard of a documentary about it, I sought out a copy and eagerly watched it, and I wasn't disappointed. Directed by the child "star" we meet the cast, director, writer, fans and super fans, which all range from comical, embarrassing, mentally unstable, deluded, egotistical and down right stupid. There are some really great moments in this film, especially when the father in the film realises the cult status of said movie and grabs his "fame" tightly with both hands clearly relishing from the devotion the 300 + fans in attendance at a special screening give him, only to come crashing down when he gets to wrapped up in it and believes himself/itself to be bigger than he/it is. The parts when they interview 3 of the "stars", the mother, the grandfather and the store owner, are the most compelling and depressing, showing 2 of them to be extremely mentally unwell and the other a sad lonely old man surrounded by his own junk. But Oscar for most deluded has to go to the "director" some Italian idiot who believes that he has made a masterpiece, and his writer wife who refers to it as a social statement about vegetarianism.It is a great little doc with some standout moments, The Birmingham NEC memorabilia fair and Margot Prey recreating the noise her neighbours make, to a genuinely uncomfortable director and actor being the most. What starts out a homage/tongue in cheek look at the "worst movie ever" ends up being a sad and moving experience. Highly recommended