# Cinema Verite (2011 film)

Cinema Verite is a 2011 HBO drama film directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. The film's main ensemble cast starred Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, James Gandolfini and Patrick Fugit. The film follows a fictionalized account of the production of An American Family, a 1973 PBS documentary television series that is said to be one of the earliest examples of the reality television genre. Principal photography was completed in Southern California. The film premiered on April 23, 2011.

## Plot synopsis

The film begins in 1971 with Craig Gilbert (James Gandolfini) discussing with Pat Loud (Diane Lane) the idea of a documentary series that would concern her family's day-to-day lives in Santa Barbara, CA. Pat considers the proposal and accepts, amidst her son Lance (Thomas Dekker) moving to New York City. Pat's husband Bill (Tim Robbins) travels often away on business, leaving his wife alone to care for their five children.
The crew (Patrick Fugit, Shanna Collins) moves in with the Louds and begins to document them. Relations between Pat and Bill grow frayed due to his time away and the stress of the TV show's production. Gilbert tells Pat of his suspicions surrounding Bill's trips away, giving fairly strong evidence that he is cheating on her. The crew fights with Gilbert about his documentary technique, as he makes them film many personal moments.
After surreptitiously duplicating the keys to Bill's office, Pat makes a late night trip to the office and discovers documents that confirm he is cheating on Pat with two other women, resulting in Pat's preparations to file for a divorce. Angry, she tells Gilbert to have cameras there when she tells Bill, wanting "his bimbos to see it, the whole world to see it." Against her wishes, he films Pat's conversation with her brother and his wife.
Pat begins to regret her decision to let Gilbert film the break up, and tries to get one of her sons to tell him while driving Bill home instead. He, however, does not work up the courage to do this, and Pat kicks Bill out of her home on camera.
The film cuts to one year later, when An American Family is experiencing its premiere. The show airs to strong television ratings but much criticism of members of the family, in particular Pat for how she came off on camera and Lance for his homosexuality. The family then gets together to "fight back", addressing their critics by appearing on many talk shows.
Title cards at film's end offer updates for each Loud family member. Lance died of AIDS-related hepatitis in 2001; his last wish for his parents was to cohabitate. They currently live together in Los Angeles.

## Cast

* Diane Lane as Pat Loud
* Tim Robbins as Bill Loud
* James Gandolfini as Craig Gilbert
* Kathleen Quinlan as Mary
* Thomas Dekker as Lance Loud
* Patrick Fugit as Alan Raymond
* Shanna Collins as Susan Raymond
* Willam Belli as Candy Darling
* Lolita Davidovich as Valerie
* Kyle Riabko as Jackie Curtis
* Kaitlyn Dever as Michelle Loud
* Nick Eversman as Grant Loud
* Johnny Simmons as Kevin Loud
* Caitlin Custer as Delilah Loud
* Jake Richardson as Tommy Goodwin

## Production

Principal photography was completed primarily in Los Angeles, California.
The film is presented in chapters, with chapter titles such as The Chelsea and The Battle for the Camera Begins. When the chapter titles are shown, short clips from the original 1973 documentary are shown alongside in split screen format.

## Critical reception

Cinema Verite met with a positive reception from television critics. On review aggregator Metacritic the film received a "generally positive" score of 74 out of 100, based on 23 reviews.

### Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2011 | Artios Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Movie/Mini Series | Randi Hiller | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Diane Lane | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Thomas Dekker | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Cinematography in a Non-Series | Best Cinematography in a Non-Series | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Editing in a Non-Series | Best Editing in a Non-Series | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series | Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series | Nominated |
| 2011 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Music in a Non-Series | Best Music in a Non-Series | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Miniseries or Movie | Gavin Polone, Zanne Devine, and Karyn McCarthy | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Diane Lane | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special | Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Randi Hiller | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Suttirat Anne Larlarb and Joseph T. Mastrolia | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie | Terry Baliel, Carol Pershing, and Beth Miller | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic) | Mindy Hall, Kimberly Felix, and Julie Hewett | Nominated |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Sarah Flack and Robert Pulcini | Won |
| 2011 | Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie | Petur Hliddal, Lora Hirschberg, Scott R. Lewis, and Douglas Murray | Nominated |
| 2011 | Satellite Awards | Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated |
| 2011 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Diane Lane | Nominated |
| 2011 | Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials | Nominated |
| 2011 | Women's Image Network Awards | Actress Made for Television Movie | Diane Lane | Won |
| 2012 | American Cinema Editors Awards | Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television | Sarah Flack and Robert Pulcini | Won |
| 2012 | Art Directors Guild Awards | Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Mini-Series | Patti Podesta, Dawn Masi, Christopher Tandon, Philip Toolin, Martin Charles, Eric Rosenberg, Meg Everist, and James V. Kent | Nominated |
| 2012 | Cinema Audio Society Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series | Petur Hliddal, Lora Hirschberg, Scott R. Lewis, Douglas Murray, and Greg Townley | Nominated |
| 2012 | GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series | Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series | Won |
| 2012 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Television Film | Best Miniseries or Television Film | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Diane Lane | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film | Tim Robbins | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing – Long Form Dialogue and ADR in Television | Douglas Murray, Susan Dudeck, and Kim Foscato | Nominated |
| 2012 | Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing - Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television | Douglas Murray, Steve Bissinger, Kim Foscato, Larry Oatfield, Robert Shoup, Goro Koyama, and Andy Malcolm | Nominated |
| 2012 | Guild of Music Supervisors Awards | Best Music Supervision for Television Long Form and Movie | Evyen Klean (also for Mildred Pierce, The Sunset Limited, and Too Big to Fail) | Won |
| 2012 | Humanitas Prize | 90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television | David Seltzer | Won |
| 2012 | Producers Guild of America Awards | David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television | Zanne Devine and Karyn McCarthy | Nominated |
| 2012 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries | Diane Lane | Nominated |
| 2012 | Writers Guild of America Awards | Long Form – Original | David Seltzer | Won |