In case you missed it, check out my interview with Ben Steinbaur, Berndt Mader, Joe Pickett & Nick Prueher below.

My favorite documentary to watch is where one where I go in knowing nothing about the subject(s) and come away with a newfound appreciation for the mark on the history the subject(s) had, maybe even to the point where I research the subject(s) on my own time. By that criterion, you can already tell that I would love Chop & Steele. I knew nothing about Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher, Wisconsin natives who founded the Found Footage Festival, comprising the most cringe-inducing VHS tapes out there. Then, one day the pair got bored of digging through thrift stores for the worst of the worst. Enter Chop & Steele, two fake strongmen invented by Pickett and Prueher to prank morning talk show hosts.

All that may sound very pedestrian for a documentary, but the direction by Ben Steinbauer and Berndt Mader makes the story easy to follow through firsthand accounts from Joe & Nick, as well as others like David Cross, Reggie Watts, and Bobcat Goldthwait, among others. Through these interviews, Steinbauer & Mader familiarize the viewer with the history of Joe & Nick, the Found Footage Festival, the difference between a prank and something with malicious intent, and how the lawsuit by Grey Television affected their pranking. That sounds like a lot, but thanks to some sharp editing by Mike Saenz, Alex MacKenzie, and Don Swaynos, the documentary never feels too much to keep track of.

Similarly, I was surprised by how much humor was inherent in Chop & Steele. Most documentaries try to be such a stale retelling of events that the personality of the subject(s) tends to get lost in the editing process, but not here. Joe & Nick's signature goofball comedy is here, especially in the Found Footage Festival clips. Many people compare this documentary to a buddy comedy, and I’d be inclined to agree. As much as the documentary is tied into the pranks the duo pulls off together, Steinbauer and Mader never forget that these are hilarious people.

However, there is one major flaw with this documentary. While I love the interviews, there are times when switching instantly from interview footage to archive footage is sudden and jarring to the overall flow of the documentary. That said, if you can ride the wave, you should be fine.

Chop & Steele is one of the most unique & inventive documentaries I’ve seen all year. Not just settling for being a documentary, it weaves in the tale of who these two pranksters met & the art of the prank itself. Whenever this comes out, you should check it out.

★★★★

Chop & Steele has not received distribution at the time of publication, but you can catch it tomorrow as part of the 2022 Tribeca Festival!

Until next time!

Thanks to Thomas Stoneham-Judge from Movies For Reel, Shane Conto, Joseph Davis, David Walters, Ambula Bula, and Matthew Simpson for supporting Austin B Media on Patreon!