The biggest box office surprise of the year might be Nathan Fielder’s documentary about disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, “You Can See Everything.” After its phenomenal October 16 opening weekend ticket sales, the film expanded from an initial release in 855 theaters to 3,243 domestic theaters (including Paragon at Founders Row). In less than three weeks the movie has hauled in over $60 million and is already ranked number 6 on the Top 10 domestic highest grossing documentaries of all time.
The tale of Elizabeth Holmes from Stanford University protégé to billionaire entrepreneur to Federal Prison Camp inmate is as complicated and nuanced as the documentary suggests. She was the inventor of the Edison, a device that could theoretically run over 1,000 lab tests from one drop of blood. The machine never worked but investors (and unwitting patients) were duped to believe that it did. If you’ve seen the film and want to know more about the Theranos saga, or if you plan to see the film and want more context around what you’re about to see, I’ve compiled a number of streaming options to get you caught up.
The Dropout (Hulu, Disney+). This 2022 docudrama features Amanda Seyfried as Holmes and her definitive performance here is likely the reason no one else has tried to release a competing fictionalization of the subject matter. The eight-episode drama by showrunner and executive producer Elizabeth Meriwether was based on ABC News reporting by Rebecca Jarvis and follows Holmes’ life from Stanford through the rise of Theranos to its rapid fall and the subsequent federal fraud indictments following the publication of John Carreyrou’s series of articles in The Wall Street Journal beginning in 2015. Holmes’ romantic and professional relationship with business partner Sunny Balwani (who also went to prison for his role in defrauding investors) is thoroughly examined, as well as the increasingly chaotic working environment at Theranos as the Edison prototype failed to deliver accurate and consistent results. The series does an excellent job of portraying the key players in the Theranos saga as well as the dire consequences of endorsing a medical device that was churning out inaccurate results to patients who were betting their lives on those test results. In other words, it doesn’t feel like a cheesy reimagining of the story. Amanda Seyfried won an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for her role, both well deserved. “You Can See Everything” refers to this docudrama, so it would benefit you to have seen this first if you’re planning to see the documentary.
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley (Max, Hulu, and various rental and purchase options). This documentary was written and directed by Alex Gibney and released in 2019, the year following the indictments against Holmes and Balwani for defrauding investors. It covers the founding and flailing of Theranos through a series of interviews with Holmes, Sunny Balwani, former employees and whistleblowers Tyler Shultz (Research Engineer) and Erika Cheung (Lab Associate), as well as Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou. The full list of participants is impressive. Running time is 1 hour and 59 minutes.
20/20 – /Season 44, Episode 16: “The Dropout: The Rise and Con of Elizabeth Holmes” (Hulu, Disney+). Rebecca Jarvis hosted this episode, which aired in March of 2022. It runs just under 80 minutes and covers the meteoric rise and fall of Theranos, the wealthy investors who were duped, Holmes’ relationship with current partner Billy Evans, and her conviction on federal fraud charges. The episode also includes segments about the docudrama starring Amanda Seyfried.
60 Minutes spotlight (CBS). For a quick (and remarkably concise) primer, you can check out this segment from reporter Norah O’Donnell that aired in 2018 as part of the popular CBS news program. Among the people interviewed are whistleblower Tyler Shultz, former research engineer at Theranos, former Lab Associate Erika Cheung, and Doug Matje who had been hired to adapt blood tests for the Edison. They give an insider’s view of the pressure on lab employees as the Edison continued to flounder. You can watch the full segment (just under 14 minutes) for free at cbsnews.com/video/elizabeth-holmes-theranos-60-minutes-archive.
