DVD Review: They Shoot Movies, Don't They?
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::Movie review
They Shoot Movies, Don't They? is a very difficult film to classify. Its marketing suggested that it was a documentary. However, it many fictional aspects caused some to label it a "mockumentary," but even that title isn't quite fitting because it suggests that this film is making fun of something, which it isn't.
Perhaps the most fair assessment would be to call They Shoot Movies, Don't They? a drama told in documentary style. The fact that the film never steps out of the character of a documentary allows it to deliver a stronger commentary about its subject then perhaps possible if it were told as a traditional narrative.
They Shoot Movies, Don't They? is the story of Tom Paulson, filmmaker. In college, Tom was on track to become a professional baseball player, until a knee injury took him out of the game. Needing a new direction, he chose filmmaking. Except for his injury, Tom is the sort of guy who gets all the breaks. When he played ball, he won. When he made a student film, it garnered the interest of Universal Studios, who immediately put him under contract.
Unfortunately, Tom discovers that "being under contract" generally means a lot of waiting, rather than filmmaking. Fed up with it, he quits his job and pours all of his savings into an independent film called "Mirage." They Shoot Movies, Don't They? begins with the cast wrap party and then follows Tom through post-production.
The crisis at the heart of the "documentary" is that Tom has run out of money to complete the film and must plead for additional funding. For Tom, failing to complete the film is simply not an option, because he's never failed at anything in his life (at least, so he says). However, there are problems in his quest for funds almost right from the beginning. People who read the script want to take creative control and make changes, people who see the film don't understand it, and no one wants to give Tom any money.
Further complicating things is the documentary itself. Tom becomes obsessed both with the film crew and his own film to the point where he refuses to talk unless he's on camera (and then, he only wants to talk about his film). This puts a strain on his relationship with his girlfriend, friends and business associates.
The question, never really spoken, is would Tom be pushing so hard and become so desperate if he were not under a microscope? Documentaries are supposed to observe life, but how much do they influence their subjects? At one point, Tom's girlfriend poignantly observes that regardless of how things turn out for Tom, the documentary crew will get their film, and not only that, but they will have the luxury to pick and choose what story they want to tell.
They Shoot Movies, Don't They? is as rough and raw as any independent film, yet on all of the points I described above, it is compelling and engaging. There is, however, yet another level to the film that is worth discussing, however to do so requires going into spoiler territory. They Shoot Movies, Don't They is an excellent example of independent filmmaking and I recommend it. Having said that, if you don't want to know any more details, then please skip down to the Video section (then come back and read the rest of the review after you've seen the film).
The most powerful aspect of the film, for me, really begins to surface in the last 40 minutes. As his financing deadline looms, it appears that Tom won't be able to raise the money to complete Mirage. More importantly, however, is that all of the reactions to the film suggest that it simply isn't any good. Even the editor winds up quitting over creative differences. Although in denial at first, Tom slowly begins to realize that failure is quickly becoming inevitable: either he will fail to complete the film, or he will fail by having finished a lousy movie.
In the final moments, Tom takes all of the money he's raised so far and makes trip to Las Vegas . This seems like a foolish mistake made by a desperate man, but I think it was a calculated mistake. On some level, Tom realizes that an unmade bad movie might be viewed as less of a failure than a completed one. If Mirage is never finished, at least he can say that he tried everything and no one will ever need to know how bad his film really was.
Going to Vegas is his attempt to seal his fate. And then the unthinkable happens: he wins. He now has the money to make the film. For the first time, Tom fully comprehends the implications of finishing Mirage and how much more of a failing that will be than simply not coming up with the money. What's worse is that this documentary will clearly show that everything wrong with the film lies squarely on Tom's shoulders -- no one else wanted it made, but he did it anyway.
The decision Tom makes, though shocking, is an illustration of the dangers of getting exactly what one wishes for. Tom describes Mirage as being about a man who fails at life. That almost describes Tom, except that when it came right down to it, he failed at winning.
::Video
They Shoot Movies, Don't They? was shot on video, and is therefore fairly low quality. However, that was part of the intent. This is supposed to look like a low budget, rough documentary. Because of this, color tones are bad and often over saturated, contrasts are clipped and there's a lot of noise in the image. Some digital compression artificts pop up from time to time.
Although there was an intentional attempt at low-quality, the "mock" nature of the film does tip its hand, so to speak, when you consider that even the darkest scenes always manage to have just enough light to illuminate the subjects.
::Audio
The audio, in a 2.0 mix, is nearly as low-tech as the video. However, as with the cleverly strategic lighting, the sound design is also a bit of a giveaway for the film, as the microphones always seem to be perfectly in place to catch every important line of dialog. Still, these little "tells" really don't diminish the experience of the film and, in fact, you'd pretty much have to be looking for that sort of thing to spot it.
::Special Features
There are 2 commentaries and a trailer on this disc in the way of special features.
Both commentary tracks features writer/producer Tom Wilson (who also plays Tom Paulson), director Frank Gallegher, and actress Adele Baughn. In the first track the filmmakers remain rather coy with the "is it real or is it fake" nature of the film, but otherwise do a pretty decent job of discussing their intent behind the story and the many reactions the film has generated.
The second track is a bit more serious and really focuses in on the nitty-gritty of getting an independent film distributed (and some of the stuff they talk about actually makes the fictional events of the film seem tame by comparison).
::Bottom Line
They Shoot Movies, Don't They? is a fascinating character study. Tom Paulson begins as a happy-go-lucky pretty boy, and as the documentary wears on, his facade is stripped away to reveal an empty shell. Along the way, the film raises some interesting questions about the subject of reality filmmaking and the effect it has on the subjects being filmed. I liked this film and recommend it.
Buy They Shoot Movies, Don't They? at Amazon.com
| Movie |  |
3.5 / 5 |
| Video | |
2 / 5 |
| Audio | |
2.5 / 5 |
| Extras | |
2.5 / 5 |
| Family Friendly | |
1 / 5 |
| There isn't a lot of offensive material here, but there also isn't a lot to hold the interest of the kids. | ||
| Overall | |
3.5 / 5 |
- Robert Wurth, ©2005
::Technical Specs
Studio:
Goldhill Home Media
Year of Theatrical Release:
2000
Disc Format:
1 single-sided, Dual Layer
Image Format:
Full screen
Aspect Ratio:
1.33:1
Region Encoding:
1 (North America)
Sound Format:
Dolby Digital 2.0 (pro logic)
Running Time:
87 minutes
Director:
Frank Gallagher
Stars:
Tom Wilson, Adele Baughn, Anadel Baughn
MPAA Rating:
Not rated
Disc Supplements:
- Filmmaker commentary
- Top Secret filmmaker commentary
- Trailer
