audrablum This week I watched American Movie (1999). Honestly, if this wasn't an assignment I would have turned it off within the first five minutes, but once I finished the film and learned more about Mark I was glad that I watched it. The beginning is a little long, but the characters grow on you through the film. At the end I wanted to know if Mark eventually found success. The editing was atypical and I see why the film was loved by Sundance. The editing was artistic and the shots were formulated to follow an indie movie format(?). The pacing of the film was very interesting as much of film was designed to follow almost a "home-movie" type of narrative. Some parts of the film were just "real time" events and others were in the moment type shots. Some shots seemed superfluous whilst others would hold for long periods of time for no reason. I think that this was the perfect way to tell this story. The "extra" pieces made the film seem intimate. The point of the film, I felt, was persistence, as if the film-makers were trying to convey the idea that if you want to make it in the film industry then you just have to be persistent. The perspective of the film was told by Mark, his best friend Mike, and other people close to Mark. At different points in the film we would speak to different characters to see what their perspective was on what Mark was doing and whether or not he would ever really make his film or make it in the industry. The payoff of the film came at the end when we realized the final outcome of Mark's dreams and hard work. My final payoff came after the movie when I looked up Mark Borchardt on IMDb.com. All in all, I enjoyed the film and found it to be a big inspiration as an aspiring filmmaker.

Nathaniel Myers Imagine you know what you have to do, imagine that you have a clear vision of what you need to achieve and what you want your life to be about... And then imagine every single obstacle possible jumping into your way, preventing you from realising it. 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. You cannot help but root for Mark, the terribly flawed by exceedingly driven subject of this film. He's a man with a true mission, and his journey is one that will inspire anyone that has an ounce of creativity in them.I think you will enjoy this movie.

Tim Cornell Just saw this movie tonight for the first time and had the pleasure of having the Co-Director and producer Sarah Price there after the movie to talk to us about it. I personally loved the movie, the characters were so amazing and I never felt like they were being made fun of. Of course they were not the brightest people on the planet, but they had very real things to say and great outlooks on life. It was nice to see the passion that Mark had. His persistence and vision is something that you do not find very often in any career field. Sarah made it clear to us that they were never ridiculing the family. And they are actually all very close. I love seeing real people in movies, and it doesn't get more real then the Borchardt family. I can't wait to watch it again.

Kyle Hodgdon One look at this movie and there is no way that you would believe that it is a documentary. The stars of this film are not just people in a documentary, but they are characters. After a few minutes of watching this, I had to double check that it was indeed a documentary and not a mockumentary. If there is a real-life incarnation of Jay and Silent Bob, it is Mark and Mike. The duo works great together and really compliment each other quite nicely. The cast of characters feel like they are straight out of a film such as "Napoleon Dynamite". Uncle Bill is another character who really adds to the movie every time he is on screen. The goals and dreams of Mark, that drive the plot of the documentary, seem destined to fail. Mark has hopes of directing and producing a film. Without the necessary resources to achieve a feature length one, he settles on one that is to be approximately a half-hour in length. Mark does not seem like the most intelligent individual who has ever aspired to make a film. He drinks many beers throughout the film and does not seem as though he's got anywhere near the necessary resources to make a movie, which is a difficult task even for someone with an abundant amount of resources and intelligence.Mark, Mike, Uncle Bill, and the rest of the characters all add a vast amount of humor throughout the run of the movie. My favorite line is when Mark was talking about "sucking down Schnapps and calling Morocco at 2:00 am". I can relate. The scene of Uncle Bill attempting to deliver his line is a home run as well. Uncle Bill's monologue at the end of the film is a nice touch. It had meaning, Bill was trying to say something, but at the same time he is thoroughly confused. However, it came off as a good, meaningful rant of an old, dying man. This movie has a lot of laughs and some great characters. It is a very successful documentary.