Just what is it about those who allegedly scheme, lie, steal and cheat that is so damn hair-raisingly juicy? There’s no doubt that the outlandish con of Fyre Festival and the shocking 2019 Netflix documentary – which went viral for the outrageous involvement of celebrity influencers, grainy social media snaps of shit sandwiches and anecdotes of oral sex for Evian water – would have given us a taste of batshit stranger-than-fiction stories. And since then, it seems the bigger the fraud, the steeper the vertical downfall, the higher profile the swindling mastermind is, the more we yearn for every juicy morsel of information.
And 2022 is looking like a big year for scammers, with some of the biggest developments happening in real time (accidental girl boss Elizabeth Holmes was convicted for her lie machine Theranos this month) – here are all the best films, TV and documentaries to catch this year…
Tinder Swindler
Ugh, isn’t the world of dating hazardous enough as it is, without being drawn into a terrifying life-ruining scam? And this is exactly the story that Netflix’s two-hour feature film tells, detailing what happened when a number of women matched with Simon Leviev, a handsome and wildly wealthy son of a diamond mogul (or so they thought?), on the popular dating app. Lavish first dates which involved five-star hotels and international travel turned into pleas of financial help from dangerous enemies. It’s about catfishing first and foremost, but also a wider commentary on how the disconnect of the modern world has made it so much easier to be taken advantage of, emotionally, financially and every which way possible.
Out 2nd February on Netflix
Inventing Anna
It is an understatement to say we have been waiting for this one for the longest time – well, since the New York magazine article “How Anna Delvey Tricked New York’s Party People” came out back in 2018. Spearheaded by Shonda Rhimes, the upcoming Netflix show will tell the real-life story of Anna Sorokin, a Russian-born conwoman who pretended to be a German heiress named Anna Delvey, and scammed New York’s affluent elite, as well as countless banks and hotels, out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The series will follow the journalist – loosely based on IRL writer Jessica Pressler – who broke the story.
Out 11th February on Netflix
WeCrashed
Jared Leto in even more prosthetics, coming your way. This time, starring opposite Anne Hathaway in the Apple TV+ series all about the love story at the centre of the rise and the staggering demise of global co-working brand WeWork. Based on the juicy Wondery podcast WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork, it dramatises actual events and the trajectory of disgraced CEO and co-founder Adam Neumann and his wife Rebekaj Neumann, including revelations of the cult of ‘we’, as well as the personal enrichment of Neumann and tales of erratic management and drug use.
Out 18th March on AppleTV+
Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber
Yet another look at a cultish messiah-like founder of a tech phenomenon, this time focusing on former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, and his beginnings in Silicon Valley, attempting by whatever means to build up the globally known ridesharing company. It stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Kalanick, as well as Uma Thurman and Kyle Chandler – and follows his unlikely journey, leading up to the wave of scandals – including tales of toxic work culture and sexual harassment, to his eventual ousting at the company and then being sued for fraud.
Out 27th February on Showtime in the US, UK air date TBA
The Dropout
Hulu’s limited series will be the first of a slew of Hollywood dramatisations of the compelling story of founder Elizabeth Holmes, whose promising startup once claimed to only need just a few drops of blood from a finger pinprick test in order to run hundreds of medical tests. Based on the ABC podcast of the same name, it will see Amanda Seyfried star as the disgraced founder, exploring what led the world’s youngest self-made female billionaire – also once heralded as the next Steve Jobs – to lose everything, now facing up to 20 years in prison.
Out on 3rd March on Disney+ Photo Courtesy of Hulu.
The public obsession with Elizabeth Holmes knows no bounds, and the second, ultimately starrier project will see Jennifer Lawrence star as the Theranos founder, with Succession writer and director Adam McKay helming the project for Apple Original Films. There’s no telling at the moment how this feature film will differ from Hulu’s series, but so far, all we know, is it purports to follow Holmes’ spectacular rise and fall, as well as her initial promises to revolutionise the healthcare system.
Out in 2022 (date TBA) on Apple TV+ Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images.
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield star as Tammy Faye and husband Jim Bakker – a real Christian televangelist power couple who became prolific in the 70s, founding the conservative PTL “Praise the Lord” Television Network. The film will follow their rise and spectacular fall from grace in the late 80s as they were hit by claims of financial fraud as well as allegations that Jim Bakker had raped a young woman named Jessica Hahn, and then used ministry funds to pay for her silence.
Out 4th February in cinemas
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
How Female Scammers Became Girlboss Icons