On the northwest side of Milwaukee, Mark Borchardt dreams the American dream: for him, it's making movies. Using relatives, local theater talent, slacker friends, his Mastercard, and $3,000 from his Uncle Bill, Mark strives over three years to finish "Coven," a short horror film. His own personal demons (alcohol, gambling, a dysfunctional family) plague him, but he desperately wants to overcome self-doubt and avoid failure. In moments of reflection, Mark sees his story as qui... (Full plot summary below)
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On the northwest side of Milwaukee, Mark Borchardt dreams the American dream: for him, it's making movies. Using relatives, local theater talent, slacker friends, his Mastercard, and $3,000 from his Uncle Bill, Mark strives over three years to finish "Coven," a short horror film. His own personal demons (alcohol, gambling, a dysfunctional family) plague him, but he desperately wants to overcome self-doubt and avoid failure. In moments of reflection, Mark sees his story as quintessentially American, and its the nature and nuance of his dream that this film explores.
Leave your thoughts about American Movie.
| NetflixJames RocchiDocumentary about a Wisconsin wanna-be filmmaker is funny, honest. |
| New York Daily NewsJami BernardSmith's gleeful, touching documentary records the agony and the ecstasy of realizing your dream, and intangible ways that such dreams help keep people alive. |
| Pitch.comJon NiccumLike Ed Wood, this is the story of a man with debatable talent who is so artistically driven that his raw enthusiasm keeps him afloat when finances and ability conspire against him. |
| San Francisco ChronicleEdward GuthmannThat's why American Movie cuts so deep: It's about the American dream, about not giving up, about being true to yourself. |
| TNT RoughCutSara RaskinA very funny, sometimes very sad documentary. |
| Baltimore SunAnn HornadayAs quintessential a story of American ambition as Welles' own "Citizen Kane." |
| The New York TimesJanet MaslinThe rare documentary that combines a wildly charismatic subject with an elegant structure...not-to-be-missed. |
| Low IQ CanadianMartin ScribbsAn inspiration for every dreamer with too many excuses. If this chowderhead can make his movie, you can realize your ambition, too. |
| POV MagazineJason Gorber. . .American Movie remains a peerless feature doc. 17 years after its initial release, it remains a vital part of the non-fiction canon, a warm look at artistic folly that speaks to the delusional dreamer in all of us. |
| Austin ChronicleRussel SmithA revealing, heart- and mind-engaging insight into a uniquely American character type many of us may have known. |
