American Movie
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Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 29 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

Your Score
0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank
  • Summary: The story of Mark Borchardt, the ultimate independent filmmaker from Wisconsin, who attempts to raise money to finish "Coven," his short film, in order to have the funds to produce his next vision. Borchardt relies on his best friend and his mother to fill many roles in the process including acting and camera operating, and he even convinces his old Uncle Bill to invest in his film.… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 28 out of 29
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 29
  3. Negative: 0 out of 29
  1. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    100
    A very funny, sometimes very sad documentary.
  2. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    100
    Smith's gleeful, touching documentary records the agony and the ecstasy of realizing your dream, and intangible ways that such dreams help keep people alive.
  3. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Michael Atkinson
    80
    Brilliant, mind-boggling.
    All this critic's reviews
  4. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    50
    It seems more a geek show than a slab of marketing wizardry.

See all 29 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 9
  3. Negative: 2 out of 9
  1. staubin
    10
    It's clear to me in reading the negative reviews that those people really missed the point of what this whole film was about. To this day, this movie remains one of my favorite documentaries of all time. The more you watch it, the more you realize that there is a little Mark Borschardt in all of us, a wild-eyed dreamer. While the realities of his life are stark and his relationships with his family and children seem dysfunctional, he is an entertaining figure with idealism that is larger than life.… Expand
  2. MilwaukeeJoe1
    10
    Hilarious and tragic. More funny than any hollywood fabrication. Tender at times and crass at others. I love that the Super Bowl bound Packers provided a subplot to this classic. Pabst became cool here. or was it blue velvet?… Expand
  3. AdamS.
    2
    Made me feel sick inside. Extremely depressing.

See all 9 User Reviews

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