Can an entrepreneur make it on positivity and blind self-confidence alone? Jeff Macintyre's documentary, which one might call a riches-to-rags story, begins with the filmmaker in Honolulu stumbling across a favorite local resident—Wally Amos, extrovert founder of the "Famous Amos" brand of chocolate-chip snack cookie, now in his 80s.
The backstory is that Amos grew up in Jim Crow-era Florida, but worked his way up the ladder in the legendary William Morris talent agency to be one of their pioneering black executives, signing such acts as The Supremes and Marvin Gaye. Amos had a passion for cookie baking (a legacy from his single mom), and when he conceived a zany scheme to open the world's first all-chocolate-chip-cookie boutique store, he had seed money from some of the music world's greats.
"Famous Amos" cookies were a smashing success in the 1970s and 1980s, with Wally a sunny, ever-smiling marketing icon. But behind the scenes, the company hemorrhaged money, and Amos sold out to a food conglomerate—in the process, surrendering his trademark and brand-name identity.
Now in Hawaii, Amos has tried to launch one fresh cookie brand after another, sure that lightning will strike twice. In the meantime, his dwindling lifestyle takes him from struggling apartment-dweller to having a room at the YMCA (a place he brightly says he's always liked and supported). An appearance as a contestant on the reality-TV show Shark Tank leads to Wally getting turndowns from the illustrious panel—they find him lacking a solid distribution network or profit plan for his cookies—but Wally views the experience as a triumph since he and his cookies were seen by millions.
"I'm not a numbers man," Wally repeatedly explains over his severely impaired business acumen, and he remains ever upbeat as he makes another personal appearance at Costco or bakes another cookie batch—or signs another contract to his own detriment.
While the man's spirit is eternally optimistic and endearing, viewers might take home a cautionary tale here of being a dreamer without a firm plan (or lawyer present when going over documents). It makes an interesting companion to Burt's Buzz, the 2013 documentary about another product-label celebrity, the late Burt Shavitz of Burt's Bees. Recommended. A 54-minute "educational version" suitable for business school (shudder) and other classrooms, is also available. (Aud: J, H, C, P)