Finding Something Good While Flipping Through Channels

If I'd seen the listing in a TV Guide, I probably wouldn't have even bothered watching it. Instead, I was flipping through channels this morning, came upon it, and couldn't stop watching. It was "Shot In The Dark", a documentary by Adrian Grenier of "Entourage". I'm now sorry I missed the very first part, because it was an incredibly well-done film.
Grenier has done a documentary about going to see his father for the first time in 18 years. While Grenier claims he doesn't harbor any anger or resentments about his father not being there, you can tell in some of the questions he asks him that there is something bubbling underneath the surface. "Shot In The Dark" shows so many sides of relationships- not just Grenier's own relationship with his father, but the dynamics of his mother and father; his father and his stepmother; his grandparents; and the whole history of how and why things happened to bring Grenier to where he is today.
I could certainly relate to the angst of Grenier's father- you can tell he loves his son while at the same time he is uncomfortable and doesn't know what to say to him. I've often felt the same way about my children, and I at least got to see my kids once or twice a year in their formative years. I didn't have an 18 year gap like this one. I can only imagine what Grenier's father must have felt.
At the same time, just as my children are certainly justified in some of the feelings they have about my absence in their lives, Grenier would certainly be justified for any of his negative feelings towards his dad. His father could have called more and he didn't. He could have written and he didn't. Even when they meet, it is at Grenier's grandparents home. Grenier's father won't take him to his own home just an hour away where he lives with his wife.
Again, Grenier claims in the film he doesn't harbor any ill will towards his father, but that wasn't the impression I got from watching. Even after seeing his father, another nine months goes by without any word from him, until Grenier finally decides to call him. At that time, he finally gets to sit down with his stepmother and understand the dynamic that was going on between her and his father and how that affected Grenier's having a relationship with his father.
The ending was kind of weird, with two ficticious, set-up "reunion" scenes, one where Grenier's father totally rejects him and another where they see each other again in an open field, hug and tell each other they'll always be together. While I understand it was presented as "The two ways I fantasized this might end when I first started this" scenarios, it had a negative effect on me, making me question if any of the "reality" that preceded the ending was set up as well.
This is a documentary worth watching. It will tug on your heart strings. I'm not sure how many more showings it will have on HBO, but if you also have digital cable, you can still find it anytime on HBO on Demand. If not, rent "Shot In The Dark" when it comes to your video store.