Forbidden America; Starstruck

“Theroux – more carefully and slightly more forcefully than usual – interviews Nick J Fuentes and other prominent figures of the latest incarnation of the far right in the US at length. It builds, as the best of his work does, into a vision of the whole that is more revelatory even than its individual parts.”
Lucy Mangan, The Guardian

“Theroux did a clever job of drawing them out so that their smiley masks slipped, showing the true colours beneath. But, ultimately, they still got their grotesque, sniggering views aired on mainstream TV. Should we tackle or ignore such idiots? They do seem to be gaining traction, so it’s a conundrum. What was incontrovertible was that all this made for gripping, if darkly strange, television.”
Carol Midgley, The Times

“The subject of this film was the American far-Right, which is territory that Theroux has covered before. But the focus was fresh: the ways in which the internet and social media are shaping the rise of the movement.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Louis can be an incisive interviewer, but he barely needed to open his mouth before these gibbering man-babies lost their tempers and revealed themselves as spoilt five-year-olds with facial hair.”
Christopher Stevens, Daily Mail

“This was an admirable attempt to delve deeper into a movement that can often seem nebulous even as it advances, and obtaining in-person interviews with those who almost exclusively operate online did feel like a fresh take, although not one that provided much, if any, hope.”
Rachel Sigee, The i

“When Theroux has investigated right-wing American figures before, it was with an open mind. Even when he disagreed with them, he could usually find points of sympathy. There’s no both-sides here; it’s Louis vs them, and by extension it’s us vs them. A depressing, eye-opening vision of where things are headed.”
Ed Cumming, The Independent

“Stars in Their Eyes wasn’t name-checked once during the launch episode of Starstruck, which was a bit of a cheek. It’s essentially the same show but with an X Factor-style judging panel thrown in. I am not a fan of The Masked Singer but I do have a grudging admiration for its delirious, off-the-wall energy. Starstruck feels dull and dated by comparison, with a budget that looks only marginally higher than a pub karaoke contest.”
Anita Singh, The Telegraph

“Unfortunately, it was immediately clear that this show was stepping through the smoky doors of Saturday night TV as a pale imitation of the original. Where Stars in Their Eyes was endearingly rough around the edges (those wigs!), this was over-polished and devoid of meaning. A case of taking a format that worked just fine and over-complicating it to the point of total incoherence.”
Rachel Sigee, The i