Smith's film is a poignant commentary on what it takes to make an independent film. It also happens to be a genuinely hysterical, crowd-pleasing romp. Trying to get his masterpiece, NORTHWESTERN, off the ground, but failing miserably due to lack of funding and support, struggling Midwestern filmmaker Mark Borchardt instead turns his attention to COVEN, an abandoned 37-minute horror film that he began filming in 1990. His hopes are to sell enough copies of the video to enable him to clear his current debts and begin moving forward with his real baby, NORTHWESTERN. The painstaking effort to get COVEN in the can and onto the screen for the film's world premiere provides the greatest laughs in this undeniably entertaining documentary.

Mike Schank (in a way) actually appears on the promotional material for two movies. For THE TAO OF STEVE movie posters, Sony Picture Classics used the body of Mike Schank from the AMERICAN MOVIE poster and substituted TAO actor Donal Logue's head. Though some jewelry was removed and a little girth was added, Sony confirmed that the body in the poster does belong to Mike Schank.

DVD Features

Region 1 Encoding
Director and Cast Commentary
COVEN - Short Film by Mark Borchardt
Deleted Scenes
Direct Web Link
Theatrical Trailers
Scene Selection
Interactive Menus
Keep Case

Chris Smith: Filmmaker

Sarah Price: Producer

Jim McKay: Independent Film Director
Michael Stipe: Musician, R.E.M.

Chris Smith: Filmmaker
Jun Diaz: Editor
Barry Poltermann: Director/Writer/Producer

"...A sure balance between affection and absurdity..." -- 4 out of 5 stars
"...Engaging..."
Rating: B+
"...Some of the most gut-bustingly hilarious scenes to splurge onto the screen since SOUTH PARK..."
Ranked #3 in Entertainment Weekly's "BEST VIDEOS OF 2000"
"...The rare documentary that combines a wildly charismatic subject with an elegant structure..."
"...Hilarious....Full of warmth and love....A riveting narrative of humor and heart..." -- 5 out of 5 stars
"...AMERICAN MOVIE is a very funny, sometimes very sad documentary..."
"Unmissable."