American Movie

Theatrical Release Date: 1999 11 05 (USA)

UPC: 043396047020

Studio: Columbia TriStar

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Adult Language, Substance Abuse]

Summary: Director Chris Smith made this documentary about independent filmmaking which had its world premiere at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Grand Jury Prize. American Movie centers on a low-budget horror-film buff named Mark Borchardt, who grew up on such horror classics as The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Night of the Living Dead. Now in his late twenties, he has decided to make the ultimate horror opus in the form of an indie feature entitled Northwestern, the scariest film ever made in his Wisconsin town. Filled with determination and passion (and very little else), this documentary follows Mark for a year and a half in the making of Northwestern. The audience sees Mark fending off creditors, including the IRS, and avoiding child support payments so he can make this direct-to-video flick. His efforts to round up cast and crew are disastrous, as there is nobody in his town who shares his knowledge and passion for moviemaking. Eventually he decides to star in his film and wears a dozen crew members' hats as writer, producer, director, cameraman, editor, and soundman. American Movie follows this man with a dream to his dying uncle's trailer park, where he raises three thousand dollars. Unable to make an entire feature for that price, he scraps the idea in exchange for completing one of his many abandoned short films, Coven, which also premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. The end is a world premiere as satisfying as getting accepted into Sundance. ~ Arthur Borman, Rovi

Category: Film, TV & Radio

Awards: Grand Jury Prize - Documentary – Sundance Film Festival Film Presented – Hot Docs International Film Festival

Features: Digitally mastered audio and video
Full-screen presentation
English and Spanish subtitles
Director and cast commentary
"Coven" short film by Mark Borchardt
Deleted scenes
Direct web link
Theatrical trailer
Scene selections
Interactive menus

American Movie

Format: Digital Video Disc (DVD)

Release Date: 05/23/2000

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard

Audio: 5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, 1 USA & territories, Canada

Runtime: 104 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Scene Selections
0. Scene Selections
1. Start [1:09]
2. The Creeps [3:47]
3. Today's Agenda [1:08]
4. 1st Production Meeting [:42]
5. The More the Scarier [2:04]
6. 2nd Production Meeting [1:52]
7. Third Draft [1:58]
8. 3rd Production Meeting [1:42]
9. 4th Production Meeting [2:29]
10. Coven [6:00]
11. Last Four Shots [5:06]
12. Summer 1996 [4:02]
13. Head Shots [6:42]
14. Fall 1996 [5:15]
15. Thanksgiving [7:13]
16. The Next Day [2:04]
17. Winter 1996 [5:57]
18. University of Wisconsin [1:40]
19. One Line of Dialogue [6:20]
20. Drug-Related Story [4:11]
21. Super Bowl Sunday [2:43]
22. Spring 1997 [3:00]
23. Interview [3:28]
24. Final Sound Effects [3:59]
25. Summer 1997 [3:05]
26. June 10th [3:42]
27. COVEN Premiere [2:22]
28. The American Dream [4:37]

Derek Armstrong

American Movie is a memorable portrait of delusional ambition in small-town America, a slice of blue-collar weirdness that continues to prove that truth is stranger than fiction. If it weren't for scrappy wannabes like Mark Borchardt, no one would ever rise above their station in life, but it's the huge gulf between Borchardt's reality and his dreams that makes him such a fascinating study in willful denial. A talkative Midwestern heavy metal fan with long hair, glasses, and a boatload of personal problems, Borchardt is a dead-end small-timer with enough of a gift for self-promotion that he forms a small group of believers, only to fail them with his under-thought execution. Better than any fiction film could, American Movie captures a bracing image of the wintry Wisconsin inertia of these people's lives. There's great freak show humor here, too; in fact, one might mistake this for one of Christopher Guest's faux documentaries, so funny are Borchardt's trial-and-error attempts to cast his film, perform stunts, and generate rudimentary special effects. But the sadness is the lasting impression, especially in Mike Shank, Borchardt's cheery burnout of a best friend, and his curmudgeon uncle, a reluctant tightwad who trades financing for companionship. An interesting side note about American Movie is that through its distribution and limited popularity, the struggling filmmaker has actually had the last laugh. Viewers may shake their heads at the raving and foolish chutzpah he allows director Chris Smith to capture, but Borchardt has since gained notoriety for his laughably bad Coven, a cult must-see in certain horror/filmmaking circles, and he appeared at Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival in 2000 and 2001. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Dean Allen  Actor 
Ken Keen  Actor 
Alex Borchardt  Actor 
Tim Schimmels  Actor 
Chris Borchardt  Actor 
Monica Borchardt  Actor 
Bill Borchardt  Actor 
Matt Weisman  Actor 
Cliff Borchardt  Actor 
Robert Richard Jorge  Actor 
Tom Beach  Actor 
Joan Petrie  Actor 
Sarah Price  Producer 
Chris Smith  Director 
Chris Smith  Producer 
Mike Schank  Composer (Music Score) 
Bluemark Productions  Producer 
C Hundred Film Corp  Producer 
Mark Borchardt  Actor 
Mike Schank  Actor 

Country: USA