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overthinking entertainment
Movie: American Movie
[TRAILER] In this cult-favorite documentary, Mark Borchardt, an aspiring filmmaker from a working-class Wisconsin background, is dead set on finishing his low-budget horror movie Coven, which he insists on pronouncing as "Coe-ven" because it sounds stupid if it rhymes with "oven." Plagued by lack of cash, unreliable help and numerous personal problems, Mark wants to complete the film to raise funds for a more ambitious drama. With the assistance of his bumbling but loyal friend Mike Schank, Mark struggles to move forward, making for plenty of bittersweet moments. A film by Chris Smith and Sarah Price.
94% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. 4.2/5 average rating on Letterboxd.
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posted by DirtyOldTown on Nov 25, 2025 at 2:15 PM
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Bonus: the completed 36 minute long film Coven.
Coven has some decent B&W photography, a solid central metaphor (AA as a literal cult). I'm not going to argue it's a very good film or anything, but is it a semi-cromulent low budget grungy 90s indie with some finer points comparable to a lot of other films from the era? Yes. And that's moderately surprising, if you've seen American Movie.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:21 PM
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I mean, if that Richard Pryor standup belongs on the list of 100 funniest movies, surely this does too.
posted by johnofjack at 5:40 PM
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Sorry, that sounds flippant and doesn't add much.
Richard Pryor standup, as funny as it is, is not a fiction film. American Movie is also not a fiction film, but what it is is occasionally hilarious. I'd be hard pressed to state a time when I laughed as much as I did at the cabinet scene (if you've seen it, you know the one). There was also a funny scene earlier on where the filmmaker is bemoaning his lack of money to his friend, unaware that his friend has just lucked into some.
I still haven't seen Coven. Roger Ebert made it sound ... not great.
posted by johnofjack at 3:08 AM
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It's been a long time since I saw this, but I remember appreciating it when it came out. Excellent Wisconsin accents.
posted by adamrice at 7:38 AM
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Saw the documentary many, many years ago. Thanks for linking the final product. It's not great, but it turned out much better than I would have expected. Much better.
As a guy who is 7 years sober and has been to over a dozen different AA groups, I gotta say this is a great idea for a horror film. Some of the AA groups I attended were indeed creepy, dogmatic and cult-like. Extremely male, white, middle aged, and christian. Others were not like that at all.
I'm not going to disparage AA, but ultimately it didn't work for me. I found SMART Recovery and LifeRing (both very similar, also all free with suggested donations). The AA alternatives do not do prayer or god (unless someone wants to bring it up) and they do not have group reading from a poorly written, 85 year old book. And SMART and LifeRing tended to be 50/50 women and men and a much more diverse group of people overall. Most of the folks in these other groups had tried AA and bounced out of it like I had.
They don't mention AA in Coven, but it does seem to be the general idea. I'd hate for anyone who is genuinely trying to get sober be scared off by a silly horror flick. But I do not think Coven will, uh, be a major impediment towards people seeking help.
I really need to watch American Movie again after watching the 36 minute film.
Thanks.
posted by SoberHighland at 10:07 AM
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At some point, someone will release The Demon Lover (AKA Coven [which was the video title]) and the incredible making of Demon Lover Diary. Once that happens there will be a lot of think pieces on the parallel history of American Movie vs Demon Lover Diary and their respective horror movies.
posted by Ashwagandha at 11:41 AM
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