A strange and fun documentary about the making of an independent film, American Movie has its own real life characters and story that you’re going to get a huge kick out of.
One of the reasons that cartoon characters leave an impression is because they are a little bit different from anyone else you’ve met. They might be excitable or silly or scheming, but there is something inherently likeable about most of them. You enjoy seeing what they’re going to do next and you get a kick out of them. That is exactly how I felt about the people in this movie.
American Movie is a documentary about Mark Borchardt and his attempt to film an independent horror short with little money, a few friends, and all of his life’s complications. Borchardt’s ultimate goal is to shoot a brand new film, Northwestern, but because he has no resources or interest, he is forced to complete his partially-filmed movie, Coven, to raise the funds for his next production. This documentary covers almost two years time.
Borchardt and his friends (particularly best friend Mike Schank) are just like people that I went to high school with, so I am incredibly familiar with their vibe. Long hair, heavy metal T-shirts, and big dreams. You like them. You don’t know if anything will ever come of the incredible ideas and visions that they have for the future, but you like them. They’re enjoyable.
When Borchardt is “on” (which is most of the time), his passion is insatiable. He will film this movie even if he has to get his mom to play a role when all she wants to do is go shopping at the grocery store. He is planning and talking and scheming, but he has a vision and he won’t survive if he can’t see it through.
He has no money to fund his operation, so his unconvinced Uncle Bill becomes the executive producer. Bill is older, doesn’t understand what is happening, and doesn’t really believe anything will come of it, but he loves his nephew and Borchardt clearly loves Bill. There are several scenes where you watch Mark bathe or cater to his uncle during what end up being Bill’s final years.
There are so many eye poppingly funny moments in this movie that they don’t feel real. In one scene, they are attempting to smash an actor’s head through a cabinet door that has not been properly set to break. Time after time, the actor’s head hits the door (hard!) and it doesn’t come apart. They continue to mess with the door, making little cuts and removing the sturdiness, but Borchardt remains mindless of the actor’s potential pain and more aware that his scene isn’t working.
Between Borchardt’s family problems, drinking, insistence that it is pronounced “COH-ven” (instead of CUH-ven), and constantly saying, “man,” as well as Schank’s deadpan delivery and stories about his previous life on drugs, this movie is a ride. As a bonus, you also get to see a bunch of the finished Coven at the end. This seems like an odd one, but I really enjoyed it!
Runtime: 104 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? No
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 4/5 Stars
Available: Free on PlutoTV, To rent on Prime Video, or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
One of the reasons that cartoon characters leave an impression is because they are a little bit different from anyone else you’ve met. They might be excitable or silly or scheming, but there is something inherently likeable about most of them. You enjoy seeing what they’re going to do next and you get a kick out of them. That is exactly how I felt about the people in this movie.
