MOVIE REVIEW
‘AMERICAN Movie” is a frequently hilarious, if overlong, documentary about a young Wisconsin man who struggles over three years make an ultra-cheap horror movie.
Mark Borchardt, who supports himself by delivering the Wall Street Journal and doing menial jobs at a cemetery, is a hard-drinking, dope-smoking 30-year-old slacker who’s been making short films since he was 14.
As “American Movie” opens, Borchardt abandons plans to complete an autobiographical drama called “Northwestern” and decides instead to revive an abortive short slasher film called “Coven,” which he plans to sell directly on video for $14.95 to fund a more ambitious project.
The motor-mouth Borchardt demonstrates a genius for talking people into contributing their time. But his drinking, lack of focus and his personal problems (including lack of money and arguments with the mother of his three young children) conspire to drag out shooting of the 35-minute, black-and-white feature.
“American Movie” director Chris Smith spent years following the movie in production and filmed extensive, sometimes remarkably frank interviews with Borchardt, members of his family, his friends, and members of the cast and crew of “Coven” – many of whom are highly skeptical of Borchardt’s abilities as a filmmaker.
Excepts from “Coven” suggest it’s closer in quality to “Plan 9 From Outer Space” than “The Blair Witch Project,” but Borchardt plows ahead, borrowing $3,000 from his 80-year-old – and possibly senile -uncle, who leaves his trailer-park home to appear in the opening scene of “Coven.” The uncle requires more than 30 takes to re-record his one-line part.
Other major characters include Borchardt’s best friend, another stoner named Mike Schrank whose contributions to the movie’s soundtrack stop just short of plagiarism, and his long-suffering girlfriend Joan Petrie, who serves as the movie’s executive producer.
The documentary follows Borchardt and company through crisis after crisis, up to the premiere of “Coven” in 1997 – and it’s hard to resist his often-misplaced enthusiasm.
“American Movie” director Smith and his producer, Sarah Price, have an obvious affection for their subject. But they clearly had difficulty cutting the 90 hours of footage they amassed, and their film starts outwearing its welcome just past the 60-minute mark.
