PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Francene Odetta It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

shadow_blade-89459 "American Movie" (1999) is a documentary from the perspective of aspiring filmmaker Mark Borchardt as he attempts to achieve the American dream. The film follows Mark as he enlists friends and family to help him create his first major feature film when an unforeseen hiccup throws a monkey wrench into his production and causes him to rethink his plan and priorities. He must decide whether to scrap everything or reenergize and refocus. The story is a rollercoaster of emotions as the viewer tries to decide whether to root for this underdog, hate this aggressive, seemingly uneducated jerk, or feel sorry for the trials and tribulations of him. The film is very well put together for the era and budget.The pacing of this film has moments that feel like they are dragging on, but not with out purpose. Every shot and edit coincides with what Mark is experiencing. It is slightly difficult to comprehend the specific point of this film. It could be just a story of a man with big aspirations or the understanding of the difficulty behind making a film. I, however, believe the point of this film is to show what can be accomplished with true determination. The payoff presents equal parts of positive and negative emotions. Every success story has a level of undisclosed consequence imbedded unseen to the naked eye, but this film presents both. Overall, I am not a huge fan of the movie, but it is not due to story or production. If you can get past heavy character flaws, this movie is a wonderful success story of determination and heart worth at least one viewing.

gavin6942 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. On some level, yes, he clearly does. But then, he is shown here to be just alright, nothing special, and if not for this documentary would probably be forgotten today. Instead, he is something of a minor celebrity around Milwaukee.This is a great film about film, and it has an extra special place in my heart because I am a Wisconsin native. This may not show Milwaukee or Wisconsin in the best light... I mean, the stars are drunk slackers... but it is not completely inaccurate.

tnrcooper 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. As they say, fact is stranger than fiction. That is certainly borne out by this picture. Borchardt uses his friends, family, and assorted local actors to try and complete this picture.Borchardt is a character who could drive a novel or inspire cult members. One sometimes wonders why so many of the folks who people his film work for as long as they do, with him. But in truth, it's not hard to tell. Borchardt, however misguided, has vision. He doesn't have much talent and he has a drinking problem, but he has a vision. He has determination and perseverance that others can only dream of. He has charisma. It makes him a compelling leader, but unfortunately he is devoid of many great ideas. His lack of focus and alcoholism extend the length of the production almost indefinitely. He does complete "Coven" and even gets a premiere in his hometown theater, but it takes him a long time.He never makes the movie "Northwestern" which he dreams of making. Perhaps he didn't have the vision to bring that movie to fruition, but he did want to make epic films and leave the everyday grind of life in the US. He had his dream. Unfortunately, he didn't have the vision to bring his dreams to life but he had an awful lot of determination. If people take potshots at Borchardt for his supposedly being "white trash" then I hope they are living lives of total sophistication and order because if they aren't, they're total hypocrites. Yes, Borchardt might exhibit characteristics of being "white-trash", but the purity of his belief in getting out from under the life he had, is absolutely inspiring.

Rob-O-Cop This movie is a work of art. At first I thought it was like a spinal tap look at a hopeless film maker and that Mark was the butt of his own joke but then the other layers of this film came through. Mark's admirable drive to make something of himself, regardless of his talent, at least he tried with all he was capable of. And he's not without skill and knowledge, be it half known knowledge at times. It was inspiring to see him clawing his way to the finish line using everything he could to achieve his goal, getting his mum, friends, his girlfriend and his kids to be the camera operator, sound, actors etc. The stuff with his uncle Bill were complex too. Firstly it seemed he was just trying to milk his aging uncle for cash for his project but then there was a real affection and caring, and wanting to include him, draw him out of his trailer. And that's one of the things that inspires most about Mark. He is a catalyst a hapless doer that motivates his dead end world to something more. On one level you can laugh at this guy and his friends, but there's so much more in this story than incompetent nobodies. This is an uplifting film about struggle. I love it and am moved by it.