American Movie

I remember watching this 20 years ago and believing that it was a mockumentary akin to "This is Spinal Tap" or "Waiting for Guffman". The characters were too perfect, the dialogue was too funny, the circumstances were too bizarre. However, it didn't take too long to confirm that these people were all very real, and it only endeared me even more to this funny, sweet, sometimes heartbreaking film that highlights the dreams and struggles of independent filmmaking and the chase for the American dream.Mark Borchardt is the kind of guy we've all met. Incredibly passionate about his hobby, resentful of the obligations of having to work to support himself and his child, intelligent and charismatic enough to convince a hugely diverse cast of characters to go along with his wild constantly changing vision.His best friend and most reliable ally, Mike Schank and curmudgeonly and miserly executive producer Uncle Bill are arguably the heart of the film and the most entertaining supporting characters. They have some of the most quotable lines and memorable moments.This is the perfect film to watch with a group of friends because the memories and the quotes from the movie will be shared for a lifetime.

I have a confession: I rented this on video as soon as it came out back in 1999 & I hated it. In fact, my friend & I turned it off in the middle of the film. Actually, I'm a little embarrassed to admit it, but one of the reasons is b/c we didn't know we were watching an actual documentary. Looking back on it, I feel like one of those stupid people who went to see The Blair Witch project, threw up, & thought it was real. I don't know how I could have been so stupid.But I eventually had to watch this again in one of my film classes (yes, by then I realized that it was an actual documentary) & I gotta say... I loved it this time around!As far as documentaries go American Movie is near-flawless. It's got humor, sympathy, inspiration, old guys eating Polish sausage... You name it-- it's there. No really, we laugh at the "characters," but there's actually an inspiring & uplifting message to it all. It follows the life of one major film buff from Milwaukee who sets out to make a feature film (Northwestern) but becomes sidetracked with funding problems, so he decides to finish up a short horror film (Coven) to sell for profits. The trials & tribulations of Coven's production make up American Movie.As for the DVD, it's excellent. There are deleted scenes galore, many of which are GREAT! And they're not just throw-away junk scenes, which is always a plus. There are commentary tracks & trailers, but best of all, the mother of all extras is... COVEN. Yes, the 22-minute short film is included in its entirety.I saw my friend recently & told her that I not only watched American Movie again but that I loved it! She then told me how she was "forced" to watch it again for one of her film classes & that she loved it too! So there's hope for all us imbeciles yet.Do yourself a huge favor & see this movie if you haven't already done so. And if you watched half of it before & hated it, please give it a second try. Once you loved it, come back & purchase this DVD like me!

The following are two negative reviews about this movie."The film is trashy, and the people in it are embarrassingly inferior trailer trash. They are all-too-realistically only themselves. They have no lines, they don't act. The American Dream is not to create shoddy no-quality films or anything else shoddy and of no-quality; it is to achieve something of quality and, thereby, success." Bjork-Bjork, Portland, Oregon"Should you wish to see the worst film ever made, look no further. Some wretched movies are watchable because they are unintentionally funny. Alas, American Movie has no wit at all, no unintentional humor." Aben Rudy, Scottsdale, ArizonaMark Borchardt, the subject of the movie, is not trailer trash. He lives with his mom and has a paper route (his three children do live in a trailer with his ex-common law wife). However, he does make "shoddy, no-quality films." But this movie by Chris Smith is an amazing documentary filled with wit, humor, pathos, and the indomitable American spirit. The director presents a sympathetic, all too real portrayal of independent filmmaking.The film starts with Mark planning his great American movie--Northwestern. The first scene is a monologue by Mark (during his early morning paper route). "I was a failure, I was a failure, and I get very sad and depressed about it . . . Now I am back to being Mark who, who has a beer in his hand and is thinking about the great American script and the great American movie and this time I cannot fail, I won't fail. It's not in me. You don't get second chances and mess them up, you'd be a fool to . . . this time it's most important not to fail--just to drink and dream--rather to create and complete."However, Mark realizes that before he can make his great American film, he first has to finish his 30 minute 16mm straight-to-video horror flick called Coven (which does not rhyme with oven). American Movie then follows Mark over the next two years making not Northwestern but Coven. Mark is dogged in his pursuit: enlisting the aid of his friends, his ma, his Uncle Bill, and anybody else he can talk into it. The scenes are reminiscent of Spinal Tap or The Office--perhaps not as clever, but poignant and often laugh out loud funny. Mark and Mike (his childhood friend who provides the music for American Movie) belong in the pantheon of comedy duos--alongside Abbot and Costello, Laurel and Hardy. And Mark's interactions with his Uncle Bill are touching (when Mark bathes him) and hilarious (when Mark is on take 27 of the one line that Bill has in the movie--"It's alright; it's OK. You have something to live for. Jesus told me so!").Do we watch movies to see beautiful people succeed? I guess in Hollywood. But not in America.

This is arguably one of the best documentaries ever made. It certainly is my favorite. Did this need to be on 4K? Well no. Shot on 16mm film the Blu Ray was more than enough. I had the Blu Ray already, but the 4K also contains "Coven" so if you want that you need to get the 4K. Kind of a way of bilking people out of more money on Sony's part by keeping the "Coven" special feature off the original Blu Ray and making you double dip by delaying the release of the 4K by a couple of years. But the price on this finally came down to around $12 so I got this version as well.