Review of American Movie (1999) by Josh M — 06 May 2009

One of my all-time favorite movies, a rewatch of American Movie with film club reminded me not only how side-splittingly funny it is, but how deeply melancholy and touching it also manages to be. I've never agreed with those who think that the film is exploiting or laughing at Mark and Mike; I've always read it as though the director is laughing with them and seeing himself in them.

(Exhibit A: he brings them to Sundance and gets them to screen Coven there.) There's no doubt that we laugh at the things that happen, but I don't think that Mark finds some of them any less funny.

But what's more important is the way the film captures Mark's tenacity, his dedication, and the sense of this person trapped in a life he often can't stand. As much as we remember the humor, there are some quietly devastating scenes, and there's no way to watch the movie and not feel bad for Mark sometimes.

But, by the end, as he's screening his movie, you can't help but be excited for him, either. There really aren't many movies, let alone documentaries, like American Movie, and that's more the shame for us.

For me, there are few movies that so accurately capture not only what it's like to truly love film, but to capture both the joy and agony of chasing a dream.