American Movie

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American Movie

88% Liked It
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American Movie

Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank

An account of a Midwestern filmmaker's effort to make an independent picture. Mark Borchardt is passionate about cinema, and his dream project is a film called "Northwestern". But he is serious debt, ...( read more  read more... )and decides that if he finishes his horror short "Coven", he will be able to finance his masterwork with the money he'll raise from video sales. His attempts to follow this plan involve his 82-year old uncle, his girlfriend and a series of dreadful jobs, but Mark will never give up.

Id: 3878646

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American Movie Recent Reviews
  • QueenCityFilms
    July 17, 2009
    QueenCityFilms
    Really a movie for filmmakers, this guy's persistence is incredible.

    Just rewatched it after graduating film school (1st watch was in high school)...it was interesting to compare impressions...of both the movie and my perceptions of succeeding in the film industry.

    I'm bumping ...( read more)the score up to an 8...the moments they capture are heartbreaking, depressing, hilarious, and powerful. It's sad because these people are so, so, so fucking stupid. I realize that sounds elitist, but I'm sorry, they're fucking moronic. ESPECIALLY Borchardt's friend, Mike...HOLY SHIT he is AN IDIOT. When you spend $10 a day scratching off lotto tickets and then become overjoyed when you when $50, you're a fucking imbecile. Plain and simple. But what's interesting is that the man is so endearing...and the rest of the people equally as well. As the film spirals into a depressing blur of Thanksgivings and summer cookouts with very little of Borchardt's film complete, you're laughing at the stupidity of it all but at the same time cringing at the helplessness...at Borchardt's Swedish mother during the 1997 Superbowl when Mark rants and raves about never being a "factory worker"..."at least the Packers won" she says...at Borchardt himself when his ex-wife leaves him for good and he's alone in his car grabbing the last shot of a short film by himself...

    The vortex of human disillusion and ruthlessness blended into a cocktail of bleak pipe dreams scratching and clawing their way closer to a distant reality...it's a sad, sad story. You see a collection of people who have become exhausted and depleted from life's neverending wear on the heart. Old Bill, the mumbling ancient "executive producer" of Borchardt's movie who has withered away into nothing but a pessimistic scant of a man without a single spark of ANYTHING left inside of him. Mike Schank, who seems to be operating on 8 brain cells total after years of drugs and heavy drinking. Ken Keen, who rocks a ponytail, and finds himself in and out of jail...there is not a single modicum of intelligence to be found in ANY of these people.

    It is a FUCKING WONDER any films were made by these people. Seriously.

    But all that aside, it is a testament to human will, and you have to feel overjoyed inside at the climax of the movie when the premiere finally arrives. There will always be that opportunity to seize the American dream...the only problem for Mark seems to be surrounding himself with fucking donkeys and drinking too much.
  • her69eyes
    April 15, 2009
    her69eyes
    The worst thing a documentary could be is exploitative with it's subjects. A film like "Trekkies", while largely enjoyable, seems to distance itself from it's characters and instead say "look at these whackos". In "American Movie", however, director Chris Smith seems to admire th...( read more)e eccentric subject of his film: Mark Borchardt. Borchardt's a social outcast, declared as "fit to work in factories", and, in a lesser film, he would be the quintessential loser. Here, however, he's a hero. I'm not sure that anybody has ever wanted anything as much as Mark Borchardt wants to make films, and his determination is simply unbelievable to watch. Not unlike Roger Crumb in "Crumb", another excellent documentary, Borchardt is such a character that his presence alone keeps your eyes firmly placed upon the screen. Through someone with the eccentricities of Borchardt or Crumb, we're able to draw comparisons to our own lives and examine what makes us who we are.

    "American Movie", a documentary that garnered heaps of praise after the 1999 Sundance film festival, centers around the efforts of Mark Borchardt, an amateur filmmaker. He's been making films his whole life and it seems to be the one thing that keeps him going. His interests are mostly in horror, citing favorites like "Night of the Living Dead" and "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre", and most of his films are similar gory slashers. Now, the Milwaukee-based filmmaker is determined to make a film he's wanted to make for a long time: "Northwestern". To accumulate the funds to undergo such a project, however, he must first finish a short film: "Coven". He hopes to finish "Coven", and by selling thousands of copies for $15 each, he can do "Northwestern" justice.

    Borchadt's cast and crew is his friends and family. The Silent Bob to Borchardt's Jay is Mike Schank, perhaps the documentary's most memorable subject. A former drug-addict, Schank is incredibly charismatic and likable while, at the same time, adding a great deal of humor with his spaced-out recollections of hospital visits and various philosophies. When he's asked how he and Borchardt met, he states that only Borchardt partied as hard as he did, and that it was cool that he had someone to drink vodka with. Sure, maybe it's not glamorous - but it's rare to see a friendship that seems so true on film.

    "American Movie" is ultimately about passion and love - a film about the filmmaker more than filmmaking itself. The cast of characters, including the hilarious cynic Uncle Bill, are unforgettable and homely. It's a magical piece of filmmaking that, due to the nature of it's subjects, becomes both comic and tragic, lightweight and inspirational.

    All subscribers of NetFlix can watch "American Movie" on Instant View.
  • lavenderfawn
    April 15, 2007
    lavenderfawn
    I wish I could see more of these guys...
  • mjgildea
    November 21, 2006
    mjgildea
    It's great the way this guy throws 1000% of himself into getting the movie made. Then you see the movie and it pretty much blows. Sometimes it's about the journey and not the destination.
  • sportsphenom1
    March 15, 2009
    sportsphenom1
    Sometimes more pathetic than funny. However, Mark Borchardt is funny, disturbing, yet inspiring, which is what makes this movie so interesting.
  • MikeDowswell
    November 28, 2009
    MikeDowswell
    Wonderful stuff.

    I saw this one at round about the same time as Adaptation (same week I think) and again it floored me. The visits to his uncle and trips out with his uncle are very memorable...and Marks determination to get it done, combined with being depressed and wanting to ...( read more)drink the night away...and having a very good honest friend by his side are all things I could relate to.

    Making a film is just such a huge undertaking, and its all captured here so well. But not only that, we get to see people in their current situation here in real life too, small bits of their private lives, even if its just a glimpse...it fascinated me. and its honestly is much respected.

    But not only that we have some great guitar music on the soundtrack..again memorable. This is one of the all time greats.
  • jonathanswinter
    November 5, 2009
    jonathanswinter
    A great representation of Milwaukee
  • engrymfilm
    October 14, 2009
    engrymfilm
    The people in this movie are so real where they're from they seem like very well written and acted characters. It's crazy, so many funny moments and a time capsule for sure case in point: "It's a new thing from Coke it's called Surge"
  • bizhere88
    October 9, 2009
    bizhere88
    you would think a movie like this would have a ton of fan clubs online. i couldn't find nary a one. i set up a page at this social networking site FRIENJA. if you're a fan, please sign up (it's free) and add a comment, video, what-evuh! be one of the first there.

    *FOLLOW UP- ...( read more)the site url below FRIENJA is now defunct. oh well, maybe i will start my own AM fan club.

    http://frienja.com/groups/show/2/Fans-of-the-movie--AMERICAN-MOVIE-group/index.html

    alx
  • brocksssssnyder
    September 20, 2009
    brocksssssnyder
    i've never had so much empathy for a character. so worthwhile.
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