A film about the saga of former Razorback quarterback Mitch Mustain will finally be screened in Fayetteville.
The Identity Theft of Mitch Mustain, a documentary by Fayetteville filmmaker Matthew Wolfe, will be shown at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8 at Malco Razorback Cinema in Fayetteville.
The film, which debuted at the Little Rock Film Festival in 2013, tells the story of Mustain’s rise as the first-ever consensus Gatorade, Parade, and USA Today Player of the Year in high school, and continues through his college football career, and his present day struggle to find an identity outside the spotlight.
To date, it has never been screened in Fayetteville.
The local screening is part of a mini-tour throughout the state of Arkansas, with screenings also scheduled in Little Rock at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Riverdale 10 Theater, and in Mustain’s native Springdale at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Malco Sunset Cinema.
Fayetteville filmmaker Matthew Wolfe said he made the film because he wanted to know more about Mustain’s somewhat bizarre football career, where he started 8-0 as a freshman at Arkansas before being benched in favor of upperclassman Casey Dick, and ultimately transferring to the University of Southern California.
“To be honest, I made this film because it’s a movie I wanted to watch,” Wolfe said. “I couldn’t believe no one else was trying to tell his story.”
The film, which is narrated by former Razorback head basketball coach Nolan Richardson, has been well received by critics.
Grantland columnist Chuck Klosterman said he was pleasantly surprised by the documentary.
“Prior to watching this documentary, I did not suspect that Mitch was particularly interesting,” Klosterman wrote. “This is proof that I am often wrong about things.”
All three screenings will include a Q&A session with both Mustain and Wolfe. Admission is $10.
For a bit more information, check out the Facebook page for the film.
