Reviews and Festivals
"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
"The response from the students was overwhelmingly positive. They found
Skaggs' activities provocative, stimulating and highly revealing. You
made them see something they hadn't perceived before."
— Tony Barsha, Instructor, New York University, School of the Arts"Skaggs
was the most eloquent, entertaining speaker we sponsored this year. his
sensitivity to people and expertise regarding the media create a
personality and lecture which are unforgettable and inspirational."
— Denise Luce, Program Advisor, University of South Dakota"We are already planning on bringing Joey back to campus. Thanks for a program worth booking."
— Terry Samuels, Assistant Director of Programming, Howard University, Washington, DC"
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
"The hoax with the most. Joey Skaggs, prank artist par excellence [...] is the subject of this voyeuristic film."
—
Indiewire"Told with a mischievous glee, the artfulness of this film mirrors its content."
— Deadline"
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 PostFESTIVAL AWARDSSlamdance, Jury Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature
Alhambra Theatre Film Festival, Best Documentary
San Francisco DocFest, Jury Prize for Best Film
The LESFF Prix D'Or, Lower East Side Film Festival, Best of the Fest
New Jersey Film Festival, Best Documentary
Bonita Springs International Film Festival, Best Feature Documentary
OFFICIAL SELECTIONNew Jersey Film Festival
Bonita Springs International Film Festival
SF Docfest
Slamdance Film Festival
Sarasota Film Festival
Denver Film Festival
Southern Circuit Film Festival
Atlanta Film Festival
Sydney Underground Film Festival
Calgary Underground Film Festival
St. Louis International Film Festival
Arizona International Film Festival
Comedy Cluj International Film Festival
North West Fest