Review of American Made Movie (2013) by Audrey D — 16 May 2014

Documentary lovers, this is a must see! All others, this is a great film to foray into the genre. Unlike Michael Moore, who on the plus side has brought a lot of new viewers to the documentary format and opened the field to documentary filmmakers, there is no overriding voice of God telling you how, what and who to believe in. The opening clipettes depict the relationship of filmmaker and subject through their form: an interview with the entire shot focused on the subject. And thankfully, unlike Moore projects, this film's star is the message, not the maker.

American Made Movie does a brilliant job of building a concrete relationship between a single product and the consumer; the connection between which has changed drastically over the last few decades due to outsourcing and globalization. By showing the journey beginning with a living tree (and the loggers that mine them, their certifications and training), and ending with a Louisville Slugger (and those that market, retailers and all) as well as all the steps in between (truckers, mill workers, factory workers, and so forth), the viewer sees just how American a bat can be. This trajectory also points out just how non-American most things in today's society actually are. Did you know that New Balance was the only athletic shoe company to have an American factory?

Although the film offers five venues to improve our country's overly-global trade and relatively non-existent manufacturing industry, thusly enlarging the middle class and lessening the divide between haves and have-nots, a fix feels too far away. The cinematography of Detroit in ruins is stunning, the score adding just the right weight and unburdened by voice-over. I could have watched an hour and a half of this alone, however, this portion filmed as beautifully as it was, weighs heavy on one's feelings of efficacy. While my next pair of running shoes will certainly be New Balance, I am left asking: What can I do? Seriously, please tell me because I have never felt such national pride as I do since watching American Made Movie.