Milli Vanilli
Paramount+ | 2023
Paramount+ | 2023
From meteoric rise to public downfall, this award-winning documentary film chronicles the bizarre circumstances surrounding the infamous duo "Milli Vanilli" and their 1990’s era lip-syncing scandal. With unprecedented access to the key players, it peels back the curtain on a pop culture punchline, revealing a devil’s bargain, the cost of fame and the truth behind the greatest swindle in pop music history.
The film premiered at Tribeca Film Festival in June, 2023, played at Mill Valley Film Festival, SXSW Sydney, CPH:DOX and is currently streaming on Paramount+.
The New York Times selected Milli Vanilli as a Critic's Pick, saying that "Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus earn your empathy" and that the film is "a jolting, eye-opening investigation on how fame destroyed them."
Variety calls the film "a captivating and moving documentary... at once strategic, artful and humane," and lists it as one of the Best Documentaries of 2023. RogerEbert.com labels it "entertaining and heartbreaking," while Rolling Stone adds that it's "a fascinating and moving look at the star-making machinery."
In 2024, the film won a Grierson British Documentary Award for the Best Music Documentary and was nominated for the Best Popular Culture Documentary. It was nominated for Best Music Documentary at the 2023 IDA Awards, and was recognized by the Austin Film Critic Association as the "Best Austin Film of 2023." Milli Vanilli maintains a 100% Fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Patrick edited this film for director Luke Korem, producers Bradley Jackson and Luke Korem and MRC Entertainment.
See selected clips of Patrick's editing here.