Chris Smith (director of 1999's award-winning AMERICAN MOVIE) continues with his documentation of quirky American characters in HOME MOVIE, an affectionate look at five unique homes and the eccentric personalities of the people who inhabit them. Gaining trust from his odd yet engaging subjects, Smith enters their lovingly designed habitats and lets them casually and warmly open up their worlds to the camera. His subjects include Linda Beech, a former Japanese sitcom star who resides in a tree house nestled in a remote Hawaiian national park; Diana and Ed Peden, gentle hippies who have converted an abandoned missile silo into a serene underground retreat; Bob Walker and Francis Mooney, a couple who have reconstructed their home to cater to their dozen cats; Cajun alligator farmer Bill Tregle, who treasures his isolated life on a bayou houseboat; and new age futurist Ben Skora, a wacky inventor whose self-designed, 100 percent electric home can be operated entirely by remote control.
With expert editing, Smith seamlessly cuts between the stories of these seven American originals, making a subtle yet weighty point about domesticity and peoples' relationships to their surroundings. Hilarious and often moving, HOME MOVIE is a successful addition to an oeuvre that marks the director as one of America's most talented and important cultural observers.
Theatrical Release Date: MAY 3, 2002 (NY/LA)
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
Additional Release Material:
Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer
Bonus Footage:
1. Monsato's House of the Future Promo (12 Mins)
2. Wild Bill's Gator Commercial
3. History of Kansas Missile Bases
4. Homestore.com Commercials
Text/Photo Galleries:
Stills/Photos: Cat Photo Gallery
Liner Notes: Mark Borchardt - Filmmaker (AMERICAN MOVIE Subject)
Publicity Stills:
1. Linda Beech
Director of Photography
Hubert Taczanowski: Director of Photography
Featured
Linda Beech: Featured, HOME MOVIE (2002)
Review 1:
"...A funny-strange documentary..."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.5 07/13/2002
Review 2:
"...In HOME MOVIE, Smith profiles five extraordinary American homes....Because the owners seem fully aware of the uses and abuses of fame, it's a pleasure to enjoy their eccentricities..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.67 05/24/2002