American Movie (1999)
93%RT Audience Score: 90%
Awards & Nominations: 6 wins & 6 nominations
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.
American Movie is a hilarious and heartwarming documentary that follows the life of Mark, a determined filmmaker from Milwaukee. Despite his lack of resources and experience, Mark’s passion for filmmaking is infectious and inspiring. The film captures the ups and downs of his journey, from his struggles to fund his horror film to his hilarious attempts to recruit his friends and family as actors. American Movie is a must-see for anyone who has ever had a dream and the courage to pursue it, even if it means making a movie about a man who turns into a werewolf.
Production Company(ies)
Bluemark Productions, C-Hundred Film Corporation, Civilian Pictures,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics, Columbia TriStar Home Video
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Germantown, Wisconsin, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for language and some drug content
Year of Release
2000
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Stereo
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Aspect ratio:1.33 : 1
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Runtime:1h 47m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 5, 1999 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 23, 2000
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
American Movie, Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank, Chris Smith, Sarah Price, documentary, low-budget horror movie, creative passion, film buffs, following your dreams, Wisconsin, working-class background, lack of cash, unreliable help, personal problems, ambitious drama, bittersweet moments, R rating, English language, Sony Pictures Classics, Columbia TriStar Home Video, box office gross, critic reviews, audience score, reviewed by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Manohla Dargis, Russell Smith, Roger Ebert, James Berardinelli, Michael Thomson, Carmela Ciuraru, Antonia Quirke, Jason Gorber, Rob Nelson, Daniel Eagan, Steven Snyder, directed by Chris Smith, produced by Sarah Price, Chris Smith, starring Mark Borchardt, Tom Schimmels, Monica Borchardt, Alex Borchardt, Chris Borchardt, Ken Keen, warm, funny, engrossing, cult-favorite, aspiring filmmaker, horror film, documentary filmmaking, independent film, Milwaukee, dreams, delusional dreamer, Hollywood execs, artistic folly, existential hero, personal issues, financial struggles, creative vision, American dream, Spinal Tap-ish mockumentary, Ed Wood, horror movies, Netflix series, TV shows, MCU movies, box office performance
Worldwide gross: $1,165,795
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,021,973
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,415
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 220,499
US/Canada gross: $1,165,795
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,021,973
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,032
US/Canada opening weekend: $20,260
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $35,139
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,321
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Tom Schimmels – Actor in ‘Coven’
Monica Borchardt – Mark’s Mom
Alex Borchardt – Mark’s Brother
Chris Borchardt – Mark’s Brother
Ken Keen – Friend, Associate Producer
Director(s)
Chris Smith
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Sarah Price, Chris Smith
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
6 wins & 6 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (49) | Top Critics (12) | Fresh (46) | Rotten (3)
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
October 7, 2002
Manohla Dargis
L.A. Weekly
TOP CRITIC
March 21, 2001 | Rating: 4/5
Russell Smith
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
American Movie is a very funny, sometimes very sad documentary directed by Chris Smith and produced by Sarah Price, about Mark’s life, his friends, his family, his films and his dreams.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3/4
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
TOP CRITIC
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 4/5
Michael Thomson
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
The hapless director’s determination and passion are astonishing, and undeniably impressive.
May 27, 2022
Carmela Ciuraru
Out Magazine
See this film. You will laugh your head off.
November 28, 2017
Antonia Quirke
Independent on Sunday
. . .American Movie remains a peerless feature doc. 17 years after its initial release, it remains a vital part of the non-fiction canon, a warm look at artistic folly that speaks to the delusional dreamer in all of us.
August 15, 2017
Jason Gorber
POV Magazine
With American Movie, director Chris Smith finds the heart of cinema in the unlikely environs of Milwaukee.
September 1, 2009
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
Despite some lulls in pacing, American Movie ends up an inspiring and very entertaining look at a true dreamer.
December 4, 2006
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International
October 5, 2005 | Rating: 4/4
Steven Snyder
Zertinet Movies…
Plot
American Movie follows aspiring filmmaker Mark Borchardt as he struggles to finish his low-budget horror movie despite a lack of funds, unreliable help, and personal problems.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Mark Borchardt, the aspiring filmmaker and subject of American Movie, is described as “an object of pity for much of the film, and occasionally feeling sorry for himself, he emerges as a kind of existential hero, battling against the odds, never giving up, and living to fight another day.”
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