Fantastic Fungi
By Jeffrey Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fabulous docu finds hope in "magic" mushrooms.

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What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Fantastic Fungi
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Based on 2 parent reviews
Eye-Opening and Essential
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Educational
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What's the Story?
In FANTASTIC FUNGI, various experts explain mushrooms' surprising importance to virtually everything on Earth. They help the balance of nature, not only by helping clear away dead matter, but also by helping in the creation of new things and by creating connective tissue between all living things. Mycologists (fungi scientists) marvel at the variety of mushrooms, including the ones that are good to eat and the ones that can be poisonous. Mainly, the movie suggests that "magic" mushrooms may have had something to do with the humans' evolution and that their inherent properties may hold the answer to many of today's problems, from cleaning oil spills to curing diseases and helping with anxiety and depression.
Is It Any Good?
One of the most positive and hopeful documentaries in years, this lean, beautiful, entertaining mushroom movie suggests that the answers to many of our problems could grow naturally and abundantly. Louie Schwartzberg's Fantastic Fungi is determined to be more than just a talking-head movie. It uses truly astonishing time-lapse cinematography to show mushrooms blooming. Some of them are beautiful -- growing a net-like covering below their dome caps -- and some are terrifying (one looks like it has spiky red claws). The film also benefits by having Brie Larson narrating as the voice of the mushrooms themselves.
It also finds a great subject in mycologist Paul Stamets, who tells lots of great stories while wandering around in the woods, including one about how mushrooms cured his stuttering. The movie is immediately and consistently interesting. But it eventually moves into profound, cosmic proportions by proposing that mushrooms are a connective force to everything in nature -- and that humans probably ought to be more of a part of that connection. The movie does talk in depth about "magic" mushrooms, arguing that they're wrongly perceived as a "party drug" and are really far more useful than their reputation would suggest. But Fantastic Fungi also doesn't suggest that all viewers must take them. Rather, it merely provides information and the results of a few positive studies, and lets viewers make up their own minds.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Fantastic Fungi approaches drug use. How does the movie present the use of "magic" mushrooms? Does it pressure viewers? Does it let viewers make up their own minds?
Why do magic mushrooms have a stigma attached? Do you think that's why their health benefits aren't more widely used or known?
How does Fantastic Fungi compare to other documentaries you've seen? Did it leave you hopeful? Angry? Shocked? Did it inspire you to learn more?
Does everything in the documentary seem factual? How might documentaries skew viewpoints to one side or another?
Is Stamets a role model?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 11, 2019
- On DVD or streaming: August 7, 2020
- Cast: Brie Larson, Paul Stamets, Michael Pollan
- Director: Louie Schwartzberg
- Studio: Area 23a
- Genre: Documentary
- Topics: STEM, Science and Nature
- Run time: 80 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: February 18, 2023
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