MoviePass, MovieCrash is a true crime doc for the CNBC set

Watching MoviePass, MovieCrash, you suddenly get a clearer idea of why stories of startup shenanigans are such an obvious candidate for dramatic adaptation. Shows like The Dropout and WeCrashed, with their boldfaced cast list and freedom to elide timelines, characters, and facts, make complicated business issues accessible. If coverage of alleged financial crimes and fiscal scams are the healthy and satisfying broccoli of the true crime world, these star-studded adaptations are broccoli loaded with bacon and cheese. They go down so easily you don't even notice the veggie at the center of the dish.

But there's nothing wrong with broccoli, just as there's nothing wrong with MoviePass, MovieCrash. It's a straightforward documentary about the creation, rise, and spectacular fall of MoviePass, a company that — similar to the other startups I have already mentioned — seemed too good to be true, with 2017-era promises to customers of unlimited in-theater movie tickets for $9.99 a month. As the company struggled to fulfill that improbable offer, it allegedly resorted to fraudulent practices. In recent years, one exec has been convicted of embezzlement and its CEOs have been charged with securities fraud. Their rescheduled trial is expected to begin some time this year.

You probably knew all those details from a basic consumption of headlines over the last few years. So your interest in this film, which makes its debut on HBO and Max on May 29, might hinge partly on how much else you care to learn about the case. Stories about Silicon Valley bullshit are not for everyone, nor are docs about boardroom machinations.