The essence of David Dobrik, the puckish subject of the documentary Under the Influence, first appears on screen during a high-pressure pitch. In 2020, a young man sits in front of a laptop and describes his dream gig: a late-night variety show. I wish there was a show that didn't have all that, I want to be there constantly.
Dobrik has made a career out of uploading sex and alcohol-enhanced romps on camera and uploading them to the internet. His videos have earned him more than 18 million subscribers and enough money to be crowned one of the highest-paid creators of 2020. His success has made stars of a recurring cast of more than 15 friends collectively called the "Vlog Squad." Most now have their own social media followings, merchandise, and brand sponsorships as a result of their affiliation with Dobrik and appearances in his videos.
Casey Neistat and David Dobrik in a still from a May 2017 YouTube video posted to Dobrik's second channel. Credit: David Dobrik
In Under the Influence, we look at Dobrik's rise to fame and inevitable downfall in 2021, after two career-changing events: a March report from Insider that Dobrik was involved in the sexual assault of a college student, and the April reveal.
The documentary was directed by a man who made a daily vlog style that redefined the genre on the internet. Dobrik found success with his own brand of semi-scripted vlogs combining Jackass -type stunts, stand-up comedy, and reality television.
Under the Influence is a balanced and compelling chronicle of the ways in which power warps, incentivizes, and exploits the motivations of everyone in its world.
The content of Dobrik is dependent on the willingness of the Vlog Squad to perform: as crude caricatures, amateur stunt people, and supportive hype men. Safety and consent seem to be more important than getting the shot. In the doc, Dobrik notes that a vlog he's filming is not funny unless someone gets hurt.
The vlog squad made a lot of money by sacrificing their dignity in front of the Dobrik audience. The oldest member of the squad, at 48 years old, was a divorcee struggling to support his two children before befriending Dobrik, who he says has made him a millionaire.
Dobrik and members of the Vlog Squad, including Nash and Wittek, at the 9th Annual Streamy Awards in 2019. Credit: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for dick clark productions
The Insider reporter who first broke the story about the alleged rape of a woman by a Vlog Squad member asked if the people were coerced into doing it because of the platform it gave them and the money it gave them.
A 2020 stunt gone wrong is the result of that decision-making gray area. Dobrik is operating an excavator on a shallow lake. Jeff Wittek, a member of the Vlog Squad, is attached to a crane by a thin rope, swinging in a circle, when Dobrik stops the machine. Wittek crashes into its metal arm and hangs upside down from a rope as he waits to be rescued.
Wittek, whose face has been reconstructed and whose brain and eyesight are permanently damaged, says that people are going to say that he is an idiot for getting on that rope. I was thinking, "Let's do what we have to do to make this video great."
A screenshot from Jeff Wittek's YouTube documentary about the accident that permanently damaged his brain and vision. Wittek is seen here mid-air, seconds before crashing into the excavator's metal arm. Credit: Jeff Wittek
Dobrik is floppy haired and boyish, with an impish charm, and he is asked what he does for a living early in the documentary.
He thinks that the accident was caused by Wittek's own recklessness.
Dobrik replies that the Insider article was not fair. He says that this article was written because this place wanted clicks, he was sitting in a $13 million house financed by near-death stunts, and a line of clickbait. He doesn't want to respond to the woman's account of rape because he doesn't want to feed the fire of gossip and hate. I have always wanted to be a person that when you see me, you are just like laughing or smiling, or you are pumped to have me around.
Dobrik wields a Boring Company flamethrower in a vlog titled “THIS STARTED A FIRE IN HIS HOUSE!! (SURPRISE)” Credit: David Dobrik
Dobrik's image may have been damaged by these events. It is hard to say. He made his return to the internet in June of 2021. SeatGeek has returned to finance him. He is promoting his Discovery+ series. The 25-year-old Dobrik is more successful than almost anyone his age, even though he continues to spar with Wittek and open up about his mental health. He has millions of young people following his every move.
The scope and seriousness of Dobrik's global influence is communicated in Under the Influence, as it weaves a complex tapestry of power, abuse, and coercion. Dobrik has a perfume, a photo-sharing app, and a pizza chain in the works. His impact on the people who watch his videos is beyond the platform that made him famous. They don't see how a YouTuber can transition into that world, so they pass on Dobrik's show.
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