Hulu documentary takes Adam Neumann, a real estate investor who started a multibillion company seemingly overnight, and transforms him into a larger-than-life figure.
By Ciara Rouege
“WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of A $47 Billion Unicorn” is a testament to the power of cinematic magic. It takes Adam Neumann, a real estate investor who started a multibillion company seemingly overnight, and transforms him into a larger-than-life figure.
The production quality is wonderful and has all the elements of a fun springtime Blockbuster movie: upbeat music, slow motion party scenes, snappy interviews with colorful characters, perfectly executed plot beats, establishing shots of New York City and Hollywood Access-like found footage to remind you that it’s real life.
Director Jed Rothstein is simply a talented filmmaker. In recent years, dramatic documentaries and star-studded biopics have become increasingly popular. His name is definitely one film study students will be talking about years from now if they aren’t already.
I hate this film…but I enjoyed watching it.
Neumann is a handsome, charismatic and affluent businessman out making lots of money and living his life of fabulousness and popularity. He fucked up, and basically, got a slap on the wrist for it.
The fact he was kicked out of his company or wasn’t completely transparent about his earnings or took advantage of loopholes in real-estate law isn’t particularly disconcerting. However, the film is determined to portray him as this sort of Charles Manson of the shared-workspace industry; naturally, WeWork is his cult. It explores the toxicity and deception in modern cooperate culture, but quite frankly, not with much nuance.
While the film geek in me was impressed, the psychological- socioeconomic analyst in me wasn’t exactly stimulated. (I’ve got some principle issues with taking a man who basically embodies society’s most privileged and turning him into sort of an anti-hero.)
From a filmmaking perspective, WeWork is definitely deserving of the accolades it has garnered. It’s just hollow. I noticed a lot of legacy outlets are heralding it as this exploration of the human condition— and that kids, is PR magic.
GRADE: B
Where to watch: WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of A $47 Billion Unicorn is available for streaming exclusively on Hulu.
