View source for American Movie

{{Short description|1999 documentary directed by Chris Smith}}
{{About|the documentary featuring Mark Borchardt|American films in general|Cinema of the United States}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name            = American Movie
| image           = Americanmovie.jpg
| caption         = Promotional release poster
| director        = [[Chris Smith (filmmaker)|Chris Smith]]
| producer        = {{Plainlist|
* [[Sarah Price (filmmaker)|Sarah Price]]
* Chris Smith
}}
| writer          =
| starring        = 
| music           = [[Mike Schank]]
| cinematography  = Chris Smith
| editing         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Barry Poltermann]]
* Jun Diaz
}}
| studio          = {{Plainlist|
* C-Hundred Film Corporation
* Civilian Pictures
* Bluemark Productions
* Northwestern Movie Company
}}
| distributor     = [[Sony Pictures Classics]]
| released        = {{Film date|1999|01}}
| runtime         = 107 minutes
| country         = United States
| language        = English
| budget          =
| gross           = $1.2 million<ref>{{cite web |title=American Movie (1999) |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americanmovie.htm |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=October 15, 2014}}</ref>
}}

'''''American Movie'''''{{efn|It appears as '''''American Movie: The Making of Northwestern''''' on the title screen, though the movie focuses on the production of ''Coven''.}} is a 1999 American [[documentary film]] directed by [[Chris Smith (filmmaker)|Chris Smith]], produced by Smith and [[Sarah Price (filmmaker)|Sarah Price]], and edited by Jun Diaz and [[Barry Poltermann]].

Filmed between September 1995 and August 1997,<ref name="AustinInterview">{{cite news |date=Oct 15, 1999 |title=Texas Documentary Tour, Chris Smith and American Movie |url=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A74286 |access-date=2010-10-10}}</ref> ''American Movie'' documents the making of ''[[Coven (1997 film)|Coven]]'', an independent short horror film directed by [[Mark Borchardt]]. Produced for the purpose of raising capital for ''Northwestern'', a feature film Borchardt intends to make, ''Coven'' suffers from numerous setbacks, including poor financing, a lack of planning, Borchardt's alcoholism, and the ineptitude of the friends and family he enlists as his production team.<ref name="Salonreview">{{cite news |date=Nov 8, 1999 |title=Salon Arts & Entertainment "American Movie" |url=http://www.salon.com/ent/movies/review/1999/11/08/americanmovie/index1.html |access-date=2009-09-15 |work=[[Salon.com]]}}</ref> The documentary follows Borchardt's filmmaking process, interspersed with footage from both of Borchardt's developing projects.

''American Movie'' received positive reviews and won the [[List of Sundance Film Festival award winners#1999|Grand Jury Prize for Documentary]] at the 1999 [[Sundance Film Festival]]. It has since become a cult film.<ref>[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8002-the-criterion-channels-december-2022-lineup The Criterion Channel’s December 2022 Lineup|Current|The Criterion Collection]</ref>

==Synopsis==
[[Mark Borchardt]] of [[Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin]], dreams of being a professional filmmaker. Currently, however, he delivers newspapers for a living, is deeply in debt, still lives with his parents, suffers from alcoholism, and is estranged from his ex-girlfriend, who is threatening to move out of state with their three children due in part to his inability to pay [[child support]]. He acknowledges his various failures, but aspires to one day make more of his life.

Hoping to jump-start his career, Mark restarts production on ''Northwestern'', a feature film he has been planning for most of his adult life. ''Northwestern'' attracts some interest from the group of amateur actors with whom Mark has produced some [[Radio drama|radio plays]], but by the fourth production meeting almost no one shows up and Mark is forced to acknowledge that he currently lacks the resources to continue the project.

In order to attract the attention and financial resources needed to produce ''Northwestern'', Mark decides to complete ''[[Coven (1997 film)|Coven]]'' (which he mispronounces with a long 'o' as {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|oʊ|v|ə|n}}), a horror short that he began shooting in 1994 but ultimately abandoned. He receives financing from his uncle Bill, an increasingly senile retiree who lives in a dilapidated trailer despite having $280,000 in his bank account. Bill hesitantly agrees to invest in ''Coven'' with the goal of selling three thousand VHS copies, which Mark says will raise enough capital to finance ''Northwestern''.

Although Mark is hard-working and knowledgeable about filmmaking, he is also poor at planning ahead and is inarticulate as a director. He builds his production crew out of friends, family, and neighbors, many of whom are incompetent at their assigned tasks. Particular attention is given to his best friend [[Mike Schank]], an amiable recovering alcoholic and drug addict who is one of the most reliable members of the crew. Mark and Mike bonded over their shared love of vodka as adolescents, but Mike is now sober and has joined [[Alcoholics Anonymous]], though he has become a compulsive gambler; he reasons that, while you sometimes win and sometimes lose the lottery, "when you use drugs or alcohol...you always lose."

As work on ''Coven'' continues, Mark faces the skepticism of his family and his deepening alcoholism, though he does eventually wrap principal photography. At Thanksgiving dinner and later at a [[Super Bowl XXXI]] watch party, he gets drunk and becomes alternately agitated, cheery, and despondent. He wistfully watches footage he had shot for ''Northwestern'' in 1990 and contemplates whether or not he is a failure.

After an extended post-production process, during which Mark occasionally sleeps in an editing room at the [[University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee]], ''Coven'' is finally finished minutes before its premiere at a theater in Milwaukee in the summer of 1997. The screening sells out, and Mark's family and friends are happy that the project has finally been completed.

Mark visits Uncle Bill and discusses the prospect of future fame and wealth and realizing the [[American Dream]]. The closing text reveals that Bill died on September 13, 1997, leaving Mark $50,000 towards completing ''Northwestern''.{{efn|Decades later, ''Northwestern'' remains uncompleted.}}

==Reception and legacy==
On the [[Review aggregator|review aggregation]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 94% based on 49 reviews, with a [[weighted arithmetic mean|weighted average]] of 8.28/10. The site's consensus reads: "Well worth watching for film buffs and anyone who believes in following your dreams, ''American Movie'' is a warm, funny, and engrossing ode to creative passion".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/american_movie/|title=American Movie (1999)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|access-date=July 3, 2019}}</ref> {{MC film|84|29|ref=yes|access-date=June 13, 2025}}

[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that the film conveys Borchardt's passion "Insightfully and stirringly, not to mention hilariously", and that "for anyone wondering where the spirit of maverick independent filmmaking has its source, you need look no further".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C07E3DA1E3BF936A35752C1A96F958260|title=FILM REVIEW; Seat-of-the Pants Director: Lights! Camera! Gumption!|author=Janet Maslin|author-link=Janet Maslin|date=November 5, 1999|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=June 20, 2017}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film four out of four possible stars, calling it "a very funny, sometimes very sad documentary".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/american-movie-2000|title=American Movie Movie Review & Film Summary (2000)|author=Roger Ebert|author-link=Roger Ebert|date=January 21, 2000|website=RogerEbert.com|access-date=June 20, 2017}}</ref>

Amy Goodman of [[IndieWire]] called the film "an inspiration for filmmakers everywhere",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/1999/11/interview-american-movies-mark-borchardt-an-inspiration-for-filmmakers-everywhere-81993/|title=INTERVIEW: "American Movie"'s Mark Borchardt, An Inspiration for Filmmakers Everywhere|last1=Goodman|first1=Amy|date=November 3, 1999|website=[[IndieWire]]|access-date=June 20, 2017}}</ref> and [[Kevin Thomas (film critic)|Kevin Thomas]] of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that it "is sure to draw lots of laughs".<ref name="LATimesreview"/> Glenn Lovell of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called the film an "ambitious, wildly funny chronicle" and a "madcap tribute to a beer-guzzling Midwestern filmmaker".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/american-movie-1200456362/|title=Review: 'American Movie'|last1=Lovell|first1=Glenn|date=January 28, 1999|website=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|access-date=June 20, 2017}}</ref>

===Awards===
The film was awarded the [[List of Sundance Film Festival award winners#1999|Grand Jury Prize for Documentary]] at the 1999 [[Sundance Film Festival]].<ref name="LATimesreview">{{cite news|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/46317542.html?dids=46317542:46317542&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+12%2C+1999&author=KEVIN+THOMAS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Movie+Review%3B+%27American+Movie%27+Turns+Camera+on+Indie+Filmmaker&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131183857/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/46317542.html?dids=46317542:46317542&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Nov+12,+1999&author=KEVIN+THOMAS&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&desc=Movie+Review;+'American+Movie'+Turns+Camera+on+Indie+Filmmaker&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|title=Movie Review; 'American Movie' Turns Camera on Indie Filmmaker|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=Nov 12, 1999|first=Kevin|last=Thomas|access-date=2009-09-15}}</ref> The [[International Documentary Association]] named it as one of the top twenty documentaries of all time in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |title="Bowling for Columbine Tops Best Documentary List", 12-12-2002 |url=http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aabowlingawardnews.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090830151715/http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aabowlingawardnews.htm |archive-date=2009-08-30 |access-date=2009-06-05}}</ref> In 2004, it was named by ''[[The New York Times]]'' as one of the "1,000 Greatest Movies Ever Made".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html|title=1,000 Greatest Movies Ever Made|work=The New York Times |access-date=2009-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091029064455/http://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html|archive-date=29 October 2009|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Home media==
''American Movie'' was released on [[DVD]] by [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]] on May 23, 2000, as a "Special Edition" including deleted scenes, ''Coven'' itself, and a commentary track by Chris Smith, Sarah Price, Borchardt, and Schank.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Movie|isbn=0767846869}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/689/american-movie-special-edition/|title=American Movie: Special Edition|author=Aaron Beierle|date=June 3, 2000|website=[[DVD Talk]]|access-date=June 20, 2017}}</ref>  It was also released on [[VHS]] on January 16, 2001.<ref>{{cite book|title=American Movie [VHS]|isbn=0767839145}}</ref> After being [[out of print]] for years, it was released on [[Blu-ray]] on October 18, 2022.<ref>{{cite web | title=American Movie 4K Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD) | url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/American-Movie-4K-Blu-ray/367986/ }}</ref> It was released on [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|4K Ultra HD Blu Ray]] on October 15, 2024, which also contained a standard Blu Ray of the film.<ref>{{cite web | title=American Movie 4K Blu-ray (4K Ultra HD) | url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/American-Movie-4K-Blu-ray/367986/ }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official|https://web.archive.org/web/20060310110748/http://www.americanmovie.com/}}
* {{IMDb title|id=0181288|title=American Movie}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63g-DvYaBxo Official trailer on YouTube]

{{Chris Smith}}
{{Sundance Grand Jury Prize Documentary}}

{{s-start}}
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{{succession box
| title=[[List of Sundance Film Festival award winners|Sundance Grand Jury Prize: Documentary]]
| years=1999
| before=''[[The Farm (film)|The Farm]]'' <br />tied with ''[[Frat House]]''
| after=''[[Long Night's Journey Into Day]]''}}
{{s-end}}

[[Category:Documentary films about films]]
[[Category:American documentary films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:1999 documentary films]]
[[Category:Films set in Milwaukee]]
[[Category:Films shot in Wisconsin]]
[[Category:1999 films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about horror]]
[[Category:Documentary films about Wisconsin]]
[[Category:Films directed by Chris Smith]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:Sony Pictures Classics films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:Sundance Film Festival award–winning films]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]