American Movie

Plot synopsis:
In 1996, Mark Borchardt, a blue-collar suburbanite, dreams of being a filmmaker. However, he is also an unemployed, deeply indebted, borderline alcoholic who still lives with his parents and is estranged from his ex-girlfriend, who is threatening to revoke custody of their three children. He acknowledges his various failures but aspires to one day make more of his life.
In an attempt to jump-start his amateur film making career, Mark restarts production on Northwestern, a feature-length film Mark has been planning for most of his adult life. Initially, the project attracts some interest from the group of amateur actors with whom Mark produces 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 ever move Northwestern past the pre-production phase.
In an attempt to drum up the attention and financial resources needed to film Northwestern, Mark decides to finally complete Coven (which Borchardt mispronounces with a long 'o'), a horror short that he began shooting on 16mm film in 1994 but ultimately abandoned. Mark receives financing from his uncle Bill, a wise but increasingly senile eighty-two-year-old retiree who lives in a dilapidated trailer despite having nearly $300,000 in his bank account. Bill hesitantly agrees to invest in Coven with the goal of selling three thousand VHS tapes, which he hopes will raise enough capital to finance Northwestern.
Mark restarts production on Coven but suffers numerous mishaps. Although he is hard-working and knowledgeable about film making, he is also poor at planning ahead and inarticulate as a director. Additionally, Mark builds his production crew out of friends and neighbors, many of whom are incompetent at the tasks to which Mark assigns them. Particular attention is given to his best friend (and one of the only adept members of the crew) Mike Schank, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who is in charge of scoring Coven. Although the two bonded over their shared alcoholism, Mike has coped with his own addictions by joining Alcoholics Anonymous and by becoming a compulsive gambler; in between work on Coven, Mike goes to the gas station to buy lottery tickets, sometimes accompanied by his AA sponsor, who then drives them both to Gamblers' Anonymous meetings. It is Mike's hope that by winning money on the lottery, he can help Mark finance his movies
As production goes forward, Mark faces the skepticism of his family and his own burgeoning alcoholism. At Thanksgiving dinner and, later, a family party to watch Super Bowl XXXI, Mark gets drunk and becomes aggressive to his family and friends, and his girlfriend briefly leaves him. Later, a wistful Mark watches amateur footage he shot of Northwestern in 1990 and contemplates whether or not he is a failure.
Mark finally wraps production of Coven and it premieres at a local theater in 1997. Mark's family and friends are happy that the project has finally been completed. In the final scene, Mark goes to visit Uncle Bill and discusses the prospects of future fame and wealth. Bill responds by advising Mark to focus on spiritual matters and bringing happiness into other people's lives.
The closing text reveals that Bill died shortly after in 1997, and left Mark $50,000 in his will to help finance Northwestern.

Tags: cult, home movie

Review:
Now I don't think Mark writes the best dialogue in the world, but looking just at his photographic eye I'd say if the guy had any kind of schooling he might be shooting movies for someone right now.
Hence, the making of Borchadt's film, "Coven", goes from 6 months to 3 years and the movie suffers a bit from being drawn out."American Movie" is rife with memorable supporting characters and Mark is an able lead.
Don't Let This Happen To You. Praised by some, loathed by others, this Chris Smith documentary tells the real-life story of a twenty-something, amateur filmmaker named Mark Borchardt who sets out to complete his thirty minute film "Coven", as a first step toward what he hopes will be a lifelong career in feature film-making.
Certainly, that is one interpretation, and along with it the conclusion that the film is a sad commentary on the impossibility of achieving Hollywood's idea of the American Dream, when you have no money to work with.But other reviewers find the film to be inspiring, a cinematic pep talk for the underdog, and brutally honest about the realities of indie film-making.
These viewers point out that despite the fact that Mark had no money to speak of, he still completed his film "Coven", and got it shown at the local theater.My own conclusion is that "American Movie" is a well-crafted documentary useful for first time indie filmmakers.
This movie, about supremely untalented American film-maker Mark Borchardt and his attempts to make a short film in order to make a small amount of money which will launch him into fame and fortune as a film-maker, is riveting.
American Movie is a documentary following the unforgettable Mark Borchardt (pronounced "orchard", I believe), a highly articulate & charismatic Wisconson lad, as he struggles to write, direct and produce "MidWestern", a gritty, low-budget Horror movie on which he has been working for years.
The camera captures wonderful moments of human behavior and just like project Greenlight, it shows what happens when people get in over their heads with trying to just film a simple scene (or a scene where someone's head has to go through a cabinet, or an old man has to clearly say ONE line and can't, etc.) BUT, a much better documentary about the same world is the much earlier 1975 documentary Demon Lover Diary - where someone tagged along as these Michigan guys tried to make their horror film.
I have a friend who met both Mike and Mark and he told me that, in real life, these guys are just exactly the way they appeared in the movie..
He makes films with his friends and family using any equipment and money that he managed to get his hands on, in particular from his elderly Uncle Bill.The thing about Mark is that he is certain that he is one of the great film-makers of our time.
His screenwriting, which he seems to think is worthy of a Pulitzer, is laughingly bad: "It's alright, it's ok, there is something to live for; Jesus told me so.""American Movie" is, contrary to what people might think, a documentary that anyone can enjoy(even though my sister, who watched some scenes, seemed to think it was downright bizarre).
No Hollywood hasn't got this lazy yet that they just tell you what it is and where it was made, American Movie is a documentary about a man with perhaps the greatest divide between ambition and ability currently working in film, and his efforts to make his debut film.As a digression though I have found altogether too many films that just say "whack American in front of something and there's your title!", maybe it's familiarity, maybe misplaced nationalism, but these films always seem to make a few bucks, leading to more and more.So we have "American Pie / Gangster / Psycho / Beauty / History X / Splendor / Dreamz All in the last decade off the top of my head, with dozens more out there.Back to Mark Borchardt the subject of this American Movie.
He has grand plans to become an established filmmaker in his own right, he just needs to make his debut short film to drum up some money so that he can make his name with a full length feature.The film will be called NorthWestern, and while early goings of this documentary introduce us to many people already associated and indoctrinated into the process it is clear early that this won't be a tale of cinematic triumph against the odds.Even Mark's most ardent supporters admit that years have passed with little or no progress.
But it seems only one true friend in Mike Shenk (who deserves his own movie – I'll get to him) and dear old Uncle Bill.Bill is an elderly man who Mark nags incessantly for money *ahem* film financing capital, with tales of future Scorcese style glory and Snyder sized box office returns until poor old Uncle Bill gets exhausted and relents again fully expecting never to see a penny for his outlay.It seems Mark's unerring sense of self belief and endless optimism convinces others to get involved without the slightest assurance or inkling that anything will ever eventuate.But even Mark has doubt at times, it is obvious to all that when he drinks his resentment of authority and a more hardworking existence rise quickly to the surface, and he lacks the ability to say "no" to alcohol, allowing it to set himself further and further behind, both financially and cinematically.But enough with the serious stuff.
It takes a lot of attempts to get this money shot for 'Coven', while Tom's head steadily gets softer on top.Yet that cupboard scene moment is actually a good indication of why 'American Movie' is a real good 'un.
Borchardt is a bit of a jerk when he's drunk, but he's got a dream and he's going for it.But the star of the movie is Uncle Bill, a curmudgeonly 83 year old who fronts the money for 'Coven' and occasionally busts into a song about his life: "Goodbye dear, hope you're in heaven where you belong / I was wondering if they had cigarettes in heaven, I don't think so / I still love you, I'll visit your grave every day / Not every day, but I'll visit it sometimes if I ever find it".And...
Set in the confines of Wisconsin, Mark Borchardt sets out to capture the American Dream, by filming his movie "Northwestern." But sidetracked instead to film a short subject named "Coven", pronounced long o, not like oven, this is an important distinction.
Very inspiring !!!The underlying foundation of the movie is the love and support of the Borchardt family and friends, in spite of some dysfunction, they conquer the elements,and provide true inspiration for anyone who has aspirations...Get the DVD of "American Movie", which has "Coven" on it.The name "Coven", gives the film the Directors signature !
Mark has been trying for years to raise money - and talent - for a full-length low budget horror film production called "Northwestern" but as the film opens in 1995 he's having a hard time getting it together.
Early on he realizes that the feature project just isn't going to happen soon, so he decides to finish off a short film he has been sitting on, "Coven", and to put his hopes on video sales of this work getting him enough money to get going on "Northwestern." Most of the rest of the film alternates between Mark filming, editing, and post-dubbing Coven, with many scenes being both funny and rather sad or pathetic - like his attempts to have his uncle Joe, the "executive producer" recite a very simple line - and his generally despondent personal life, including jobs as a paper deliveryman and a groundskeeper/janitor at a cemetery, the same cemetery (I think) that provides him with fond memories of childhood escapes from his ever-fighting parents.
A lot of people have commented on his obnoxious, overbearing attitude, and it certainly isn't something that appeals to me - I'd probably hate the guy if I knew him in real life, at least if he kept making condescending statements to me about life and dreams like he does to his family - but somehow it's endearing when you're not right there and you're just seeing how he - somehow - manages to get his project through to completion, over two more years.
It's in a lot of ways a very hopeful and invigorating film about taking chances, and as somebody much like Mark (only older, even) who has frittered away a lot of my life, I can only take heart.One odd element to the whole thing that I haven't seen anybody mention is the interplay between the filmmakers of "American Movie" - themselves working on a very low budget and scrabbling around a bit - and Mark and his family and crew.
Sure, after seeing the movie so many times, and working on a very similar level as Mark, I connect with him as a character and I know a few different guys like Mike, The real brilliance here is Chris Smith.
As already mentioned, this film really needs to be seen by every wannabe filmmaker out there and also those who work hard to make a dream to come true, but for whatever reason never make it.Also other comments have mentioned the whole mocking attitude that this doc is having at Mark.
Okay I'm getting personal here....I've read that since American Movie was made, Mark and his buddy found small time success in the Industry...guest appearance on some TV show or whatever...
On top of that, Mark Borchardt, the focus of the documentary is clearly desperate to be recognised for his film-making, but ultimately seems destined to be remembered, perhaps unfavourably, for being the subject of somebody else's successful film.American Movie director Chris Smith was teaching a film-making class when the eccentric enthusiasm of pupil Borchardt caught his eye.
Meanwhile, his friends and family (and at the same time, cast & crew) are introduced.And it's these extra's that make it an enjoyable movie, as Mark isn't the most likable guy around.
Which is not easy since the guy, Mark Borchardt, is an beer-guzzling factory/cemetery worker who has three kids with an ex-wife he barely sees, a mountain of debt, an executive producer Uncle who is half-senile and half never supportive (despite giving up the thousands for the film-making), and, obviously, gets very depressed.
But it's a story, in spite of everything that happens, funny or tragic, is hopeful and inspiring about the future for Mark.And it's also about something else, how making a movie takes time, and money, sometimes both in equal measure.
As he's making this movie we get to know who Borchardt is- or at least what Chris Smith gets to know him as or reveals- and his family and friends, including his old and not-all-there Uncle Bill, his friend Mike who is an ex drug addict turned gambling addict, and his colleagues and girlfriend who all comment about Mark's ways as an artist and as a human being.A marker of a truly knowing and superb documentary is how close a filmmaker can get to the subject and make it into a story, make it into a story that is absorbing and true to something in the human condition, and can be just told well through the usual means of film-making itself.
As Smith's film is about such a subject that he's making, one might think back to other documentaries on directors with a super (and I mean SUPER) passion for the story they're telling, almost to the point where they might not know when to let go (Herzog and Coppola docs come to mind like Burden of Dreams or Hearts of Darkness).
Speaking of which, make sure to watch Borchardt's movie Coven on the DVD of American Movie - ultimately, when all is said and done, despite what the few clips in the documentary might suggest, he's a really good director.
This documentary tags along as independent filmmaker Mark Borchardt struggles to make his own cult-quality film.
At times, you may think this film was setup to be absurdly funny (like Spinal Tap), and yet Mark Borchardt's world is what you see on the screen, nothing more or less.
It is too easy for a viewer to separate himself from most movies, because almost all movies are fictional.The difference between a fictional movie and a documentary is that if the main character in your documentary is fascinating and inspiring, you have the option of believing in him.Mark Borchardt, the subject of "American Movie", has more passion and drive to create his movie "Southwestern" than most people have about anything.
As Ed Wood showed us, it is possible to love film without really understanding it; more often than not, though, these people are simply dodging reality by occupying themselves with pipe-dreams.I felt that American Movie did a great job of portraying the life of such a person accurately...
i hope mark borchardt keeps making his movies - not my kind of films, but clearly he has a passion for it...
What started out as a quirky and colorful (if filming Milwaukee for three years is colorful) chronicle in the life of an amateur filmmaker, Mark Borchardt, trying to complete his 35 minute horror shtick called 'Coven', becomes instead a non-film.
A documentary following the dream of movie director Mark Borchardt to finance and direct independent horror movie Northwestern.
However without good planning and management skills, Mark struggles to get things moving and doesn't seem entirely sure what he is doing other than doing a lot of talking in a production that seems as ambitious as the small town he lives in.I tuned into this film expecting to see a documentary about making a (very) low budget film but it quickly becomes a car crash of a movie that is less about that subject and more about just gawking at the white trash, small-town characters on display here.
Perhaps it is a real "Jay & Silent Bob" movie, which is all I could think as Mark and Mike bumbled around on screen.Overall, a documentary it is pointless and rather dull; it doesn't look at the making of a film very well at all, nor does it explore the idea of the American Dream (something it could easily and fascinatingly done).
The lead character Mark is a self-absorbed redneck who manipulates everything and everyone in his path to achieve his dream of making the Great American Movie.
His perplexed but indifferent mother, his long-suffering actors, his alcoholic drug-f***ed best friend, his depressive rich uncle who lives in a trailer park, the girlfriend who through denial has imbued herself with the patience of Job, and finally the only real victims in this film - Mark's children.
Two years in the life of Mark Borchardt, independent film maker somewhere in Wisconsin, and his American Dream of becoming rich and famous by making THE movie of his life.
The film, although a documentary, has a lot of love for its real life characters such as Borchardt himself and his passion or his buddies Kenny and Mike, who have been on drugs way too long.
"American Movie" (1999) is a documentary from the perspective of aspiring filmmaker Mark Borchardt as he attempts to achieve the American dream.
Documentary about an aspiring filmmaker's attempts to finance his dream project by finally completing the low-budget horror film he abandoned years before.If the question is asked "does Mark Borchardt have talent", we run into a strange barrier.
American Movie is a delightfully humorous documentary about the making of a short film over a three year period.
That's the problem faced by Mark Borchardt, and this movie is about him trying to overcome those obstacles.To that end, the film is fascinating and intriguing.
AMERICAN MOVIE is a documentary about Mark Borchardt, a man who wants to be a filmmaker.
But, AMERICAN MOVIE is the following of Mark's life and dream to be a successful filmmaker (I understand what he goes through).
This is a very funny and witty documentary about the life of Mark Borchardt, a man who isn't a scholar, who isn't making art, but just a film that is suppose to be entertaining.
This film ranks as one of my favorites of the year, and one of my favorite documentaries of all time (right up there with "Cane Toads" and "Vernon, Florida").Mark and Mike are the real-deal, and are some of the most engaging characters your likely to meet on the big screen.
But the plain style just gets you closer to the life and personality of the characters, and with such a cast there is no need for "artificially" generated humor.Even though neither Coven nor Northwestern became the blockbusters Mark Borchardt hoped that they would (has the latter even been made?), this movie more than makes up for it!
Moving portrait of Mark Borchardt, a rural American filmmaker who struggles to finish (and make) his movies.
So eccentric were some of the characters I questioned whether they were real people!My thoughts are that the documentary filmmakers behind "American Movie" were very astute to pick their subject matter.
This movie/documentary was a little slow at times, but I have to admitt that I really felt for Mark Borschardt as he tries to make movies and follow his dreams.There were a few times in the film that were laugh out loud funny.
It's a situation that I think worked more successfully in the independent/unreleased documentary "Driver 23" (essentially the same story, only this time the "visionary" wanted to be a heavy metal star), but the crackpot cast of people who populate "American Movie" (Mark's burnout friends, his emotionally distant parents and poor, pitiful uncle Bill) make it a hilarious and occasionally poignant film that's definitely worth a rental..
Smith's "American Movie" is the true-to-life record of filmmaker wannabe Mark Borchardt, a loser intent on milking his elderly uncle for cash to complete his horror short.