Expected more

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Better Late Then Never

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This is one of the strangest movies that I have ever seen.I watched this movie for the first time with my teenagers back when it first ran on the Independent Film Channel:IFC.We laughed a lot and yet sometimes the film would make one feel kind of sad and morose.I guess it is because the film's point is to show what it is like to work dead end jobs that do not pay much and what it is like to deal with ridiculous unknowledgable bosses.I was amazed at how accurate the film's portrayal was of some of the lousy jobs that I had when I was younger.What this film teaches is life is not always pretty and sometimes you have to realize that the job is about paying bills,not enjoying yourself.I have this movie.

I saw this film as part of a film series last night. This film was hosted by Tom Gilroy who is good friends with Chris Smith and was able to relay lots of information about the film. Some important facts have been missed by other reviewers:Most importantly, this isn't fiction -- at least it wasn't scripted. Instead Chris asked Randy to revisit all of the crappy jobs he had, worked with all the original folks from those jobs, and filmed it all. There were no actors, and no dialog was scripted. Randy and his coworkers/bosses were merely asked to replay the circumstances while Chris filmed at the actual locations. Some folks are more aware of the camera than others, but everyone in the film is "playing" themselves.Now quick comments: 1) This is groundbreaking cinema in that it accurately portrays boredom. Its pseudo-documentary television is unique and much more real than reality television. For this reason alone, the film is important. The craft is also very grand and the editing tells the story well and the way Chris intended.2) This makes a great sociological statement about the state of work in America. This should be a part of everyone's consciousness. So many Americans work in jobs like this. To address a comment above, it isn't that Randy has a bad work ethic, he just knows that this is not the way he wants to live, and the only power he has is to leave a job (which is very powerful actually -- have you ever walked out on a job?).3) This is the most boring movie I've ever seen. It's supposed to be. It's craft is riveting (see 1), it's statement is bold (see 2), but the actual images and non-action are as dull and numbing as Randy's jobs.Make sure and approach it the right way, and this can be entertaining, without context, this would be unwatchable.

I didn't find this movie boring in the least. I really enjoyed the "middle management" types that he dealt with in each of his jobs. I loved the conversations that occurred between the American Worker and each of his different co-workers at all five jobs. His work ethic was lousy but he was amusing. I am looking forward to seeing "American Movie" as soon as I possibly can.

I caught this film on the independent film channel and found myself immersed in this man's life as he wanders from one dead-end job to another in contemporary America. It is understandable that this is not a movie for everyone as it could be considered slow and tedious, however I think this movie shows that everyone has a story. Everyone's journey through life is not always like Indiana Jones or James Bond. Here we get life...plain and simple with all it's harsh realities.This is obviously not an escapist film but worth watching if you can find it.