The Netflix original mockumentary American Vandal has the production value of a Warner Brothers film and the humor of a teenage boy. These two juxtaposed concepts meld together to produce a sarcastically, dramatic investigative report of who spray-painted dicks on the faculty’s cars at Hanover High.
This series is undoubtedly hilarious and will have you chuckling to yourself with embarrassment. The main character Dylan Maxwell, played by Jimmy Tatro, is your typical high school class clown and airhead who pulls ridiculous stunts like farting on babies. But when the prank involves dick drawings, the audience questions if Maxwell is capable of committing a felony?
The story follows two students, members of the high school’s morning news show, as they try to uncover whether or not Dylan drew the dicks. Each episode uncovers a new layer of the mystery and uses the element of suspense to draw the viewer in. The superb acting and the commitment to plot-line make you forget that this is a mockumentary and Dylan Maxwell and Hanover High don’t really exist.
Even though this show is geared towards millennials who binge-watch Netflix, anyone with an immature or childish sense of humor can enjoy Maxwell, his crew “The Way Back Boys” and their pranks. Don’t be surprised when you find yourself fully convinced of Maxwell’s innocence and creating your own fan theory about who the vandal is.
Although the end of this 8-episode-saga is quite ambiguous and somewhat of a letdown for those who really want to know the answer, viewers learn something new about each of the characters and take away the message that what you say about others can truly cripple their self-esteem.
American Vandal is meant to be an ironic and comical take on a documentary like Making a Murder, but below the surface the moral of this show is extremely lofty. It reminds us that the accused are innocent until proven guilty and that false accusations and assumptions can change the outcome on someone’s life.