Featured Audience Ratings

• Anthony L

  
  Cinema Verite reveals the birth of reality TV, reveals all what is wrong with it and then shows the unfashionable happy ending. Cinema Verite could of had a cinema release, I think it was good enough. The cast all do a fine job and I thought the mix of recreation and real footage was… More
  Cinema Verite reveals the birth of reality TV, reveals all what is wrong with it and then shows the unfashionable happy ending. Cinema Verite could of had a cinema release, I think it was good enough. The cast all do a fine job and I thought the mix of recreation and real footage was the best I've seen from the genres. Diane Lane and Tim Robbins a great in their roles but it's James Gandolfini who really steals the show, playing lovable and dastardly equally well.

• Spencer S

  
  The story of the dirtbag producer who takes advantage of the sensibilities of people to make a fast buck is a commonplace story, but when its a true story, and one about the first reality show family you sit up and pay attention. The original process of reality television comes to… More
  The story of the dirtbag producer who takes advantage of the sensibilities of people to make a fast buck is a commonplace story, but when its a true story, and one about the first reality show family you sit up and pay attention. The original process of reality television comes to life in this beautifully wrought film, using some of the original footage of the show and interviews the family went on to air their grievances. An American Family was a 10 hour special on PBS and was the first time a regular family was shown in the same introspective capacity as the natives of National Geographic. The family is a dippy liberal set from California, the mother a self aware but open individual who is described as too old for woman's lib but too young to be a frumpy housewife. She is portrayed by Diane Lane, and shown as a mother who is torn between her children, her philandering husband, and pleasing Craig Gilbert (Gandolfini) by giving him the most naked of footage of her family but still retaining a realistic view that doesn't degrade them in any way. She is naive to the process of film editing and the manipulative way Craig is twisting her emotions so she'll turn on her husband and give a performance that will make good television. Her children have the typical goals of seventies teens, including forming a popular rock band and seeing the world. Kudos go to Thomas Dekker who plays the flamboyantly gay son of the Louds who lives in New York and frequently feels embroiled in the judgment of the public but never of his family. They accept him for who he is, while his mother also doesn't want to completely give up her son for who he really is for the public eye to watch over. Though much of the conflict is typical of these kind of stars in their eyes protagonists, it's the family itself and Lane's hinging performance that make this so encapsulating. The ending is a little anti-climactic, but perhaps that's just because there just wasn't enough story to tell. Though it covers the backlash against the Loud family it still could have gone farther. For such a pointed story, Lane really brought everything upon herself to make this film the gem that it is.

• Carlos M

  
  A decent film that portrays the controversial behind-the-scenes of the first reality show on American television, a risky format that would become what now is highly popular in the whole world. The highlights include the accurate '70s visuals and the solid performances.

• Cynthia S

  
  Very interesting. This is a dramatization of the very first American family reality show. Filmed as a PBS documentary in 1973, the Loud family allowed cameras to follow them during the course of their everyday lives. The first family exploited, and destroyed, for our television… More
  Very interesting. This is a dramatization of the very first American family reality show. Filmed as a PBS documentary in 1973, the Loud family allowed cameras to follow them during the course of their everyday lives. The first family exploited, and destroyed, for our television viewing. How about that...I enjoyed this due to the actual excerpts from the original documentary that this film is based on. Well done, and fascinating to watch. Not like reality tv today where everyone just wants to be on tv.

• Jeffrey M

  
  An uneven but interesting film from HBO about the behind-the-scenes making of the first family reality TV show. The acting from all is strong, especially Tim Robbins, but the writing sometimes lets them down, with some stilted dialogue. I did like the film's use of archival… More
  An uneven but interesting film from HBO about the behind-the-scenes making of the first family reality TV show. The acting from all is strong, especially Tim Robbins, but the writing sometimes lets them down, with some stilted dialogue. I did like the film's use of archival footage, which was often more compelling, but felt its integration was inconsistent. What really made the film work, however, was the authentic dynamics between those involved, and the especially thought provoking end of the film, exploring the show's aftermath. 3/5 Stars

• Andrew P

  
  In what was, for me, an insightful film about this interesting television experiment which changed television forever. The characters are flawed, and in the end, the decision is up to you who is in the wrong and who isn't, and that's Cinema Verite's strongest point. The… More
  In what was, for me, an insightful film about this interesting television experiment which changed television forever. The characters are flawed, and in the end, the decision is up to you who is in the wrong and who isn't, and that's Cinema Verite's strongest point. The performances are strong as is the story, and while the pace will speed up and slow down, it's consistently interesting.

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