MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for American Movie

American Movie

1999 · 104 min

A funny, sad, oddly inspiring hangout with a stubborn dreamer and his loyal friends, equal parts cringe and tenderness.

Directed by
Chris Smith
Genres
Documentary, Comedy
Starring
Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank, Tom Schimmels
Overview
American Movie documents the story of filmmaker Mark Borchardt, his mission, and his dream. Spanning over two years of intense struggle with his film, his family, financial decline, and spiritual crisis, American Movie is a portrayal of ambition, obsession, excess, and one man's quest for the American Dream.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Rent or buy in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Chris Smith
Genres
Documentary, Comedy
Starring
Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank, Tom Schimmels
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 2 of 3
  • absurdstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • ambition
  • obsession
  • addiction
  • family
  • friendship
Places
  • suburbs
  • workplace
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • documentary
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language strong
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror1
Humour6
Realism10
Romance1
Tension4
Darkness5
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like American Movie

Movie

The Disaster Artist

2017

A funny, affectionate look at an odd friendship and a disastrous shoot, mixing cringe comedy with genuine warmth and a little melancholy.

Warm, absurd · about ambition and friendship · true story

Via
  • warm
  • absurd
  • ambition
  • friendship
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
easy-watch
Runtime
104 min
Details
The Disaster ArtistHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Beyond the Mat

1999

A raw, compassionate look behind the spectacle, balancing thrilling highs with sobering human costs.

Melancholic, warm · about ambition and obsession · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • ambition
  • obsession
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
102 min
Details
Beyond the MatHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

You watch a man dissolve into another and wonder where the person went, unsettled and strangely moving.

Same director: Chris Smith · About obsession · documentary

Also
Same director: Chris Smith
Via
  • obsession
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
94 min
Details
Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony CliftonHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Speedo

2003

A wry, affectionate portrait of a stubborn eccentric whose obsession quietly corrodes his home life, funny and sad in equal measure.

Melancholic, absurd · about obsession and addiction · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • absurd
  • obsession
  • addiction
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
80 min
Details
SpeedoHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Fabelmans

2022

A tender, bittersweet memory piece that unfolds gently, letting you watch a boy fall in love with movies while his family quietly comes apart.

Melancholic, warm · about family · true story

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • family
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
151 min
Details
The FabelmansHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Guerrilla Filmmaker

2026

A scrappy, funny, and sometimes painful look at the chaos and camaraderie of making movies with no money.

Warm · about ambition and obsession · documentary

Via
  • warm
  • ambition
  • obsession
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
117 min
Details
Guerrilla FilmmakerHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Another Round

2020

A warm, funny, then quietly devastating look at middle-aged men testing whether a little buzz can fix a life.

Melancholic, warm · about addiction and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • addiction
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
117 min
Details
Another RoundHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Harmontown

2014

A candid, funny, and sometimes uncomfortable look at creative self-destruction, with enough warmth to keep you watching.

About obsession and addiction · documentary

Via
  • obsession
  • addiction
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
101 min
Details
HarmontownHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

A fast, wryly funny and increasingly tense autopsy of hubris, watching a glossy fantasy collapse into chaos and schadenfreude.

Same director: Chris Smith · Absurd · about ambition · documentary

Also
Same director: Chris Smith
Via
  • absurd
  • ambition
  • documentary
Pacing
brisk
Attention
engaged
Runtime
98 min
Details
FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never HappenedHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

"Sr."

2022

A tender, funny, quietly moving portrait of a father and son facing mortality together, full of candid warmth and gentle nostalgia.

Same director: Chris Smith · Melancholic, warm · about family · documentary

Also
Same director: Chris Smith
Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • family
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
"Sr."Hidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Standing Up, Falling Down

2020

A gentle, bittersweet buddy comedy that coasts on warm chemistry and quiet, forgiving humor about starting over.

Melancholic, warm · about addiction and family

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • addiction
  • family
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
91 min
Details
Standing Up, Falling DownHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

I Like Movies

2023

A cringe-inducing yet tender coming-of-age story about an awkward film nerd learning empathy through painful mistakes.

Melancholic, warm · about obsession and friendship

Via
  • melancholic
  • warm
  • obsession
  • friendship
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
99 min
Details
I Like MoviesHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
documentary, comedy
Directed by
Chris Smith
Starring
Mark Borchardt, Mike Schank, Tom Schimmels, Monica Borchardt, Alex Borchardt, Chris Borchardt, Ken Keen, Matt Weisman
Music
Mike Schank
Cinematography
Chris Smith
Runtime
104 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata