Review of American Movie (1999) by Ross D — 09 Jan 2008

This film was the darling of the Sundance film festival a few years ago, and it is easy to see why. This film is about a man in Wisconsin who wants to make movies for a living, which he is currently not doing, making money that is.

His goal in trying to make movies is to make a lot of money, and this seems to be the only reason for making movies to him. The films he tries to create are all horror films, and like his brother said in the movie, "what is he going to bring to the screen that will make anybody want to watch his movie over anybody elses, " which is the exact same question i've been asking myself.

This film is a documentary, I don't know who made the documentary, but Mark the main character and the star of the film is funny, real, energetic, and he does have a passion for making movies, and drinking.

All of these qualities come through perfectly on the film and make for an interesting look at one man's obsession. Mark reminds me of Timothy Treadwell in another documentary, The Grizzly Man, but not as self destructive.

I recommend it if you dont have to have good looking people in a movie to be able to enjoy it, and also if like independent feature film documentaries.