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They Shoot Movies, Don't They? review
:. Director: Frank Gallagher
:. Genre: Documentary
:. Running Time: 1:27
:. Year: 2000
:. Country: USA
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They Shoot Movies, Don't They? is a good, almost totally convincing mockumentary following the travails of Tom Paulson (Tom Paul Wilson) as he goes from studio darling to a man with the indie dream of making his own movie. The movie takes you in, and you'll have to do some quick internet research just to make sure that your hunch is correct.
Tom uses up the $250k he has left in savings and we watch him grovel to friends and anyone else who will listen as he tries to cough up the rest of the money needed to finish his project and secure a production deal. Those tentatively interested in funding his project believe major changes need to be made—even his friend believes it's more of "a pain in the ass" than a solvent investment. Even his editor is convinced the movie sucks and threatens to walk off the project. With this much support, how can he go wrong?
From there we see Tom's downward spiral as a paltry group of friends and supporters come to a rough cut screening. Time is running out and his fear of failure grows. He loses his shirt, his girl and his dignity in quick succession.
There are several tips to let you know that this is more Blair Witch Project than the tragic true story of a man who is forced to sell his beloved baseball cards and then gamble those earnings away in Vegas only to lose all hope of ever making his movie. One, why would a camera crew even follow around an indie filmmaker whose project doesn't conjure up excitement in anyone around him? Two, the lighting in his final scene just seems too perfect—and why would the crew leave the camera behind on that crucial night? And finally, we never find out what his film is about. Tom is not particularly articulate about his project, other than describing Mirage as a film about a guy who is basically a failure who nonetheless must follow his dream. Much like Tom himself...
The film is very much worth a second viewing to focus on the wicked sense of humor. The dialogue is believable and sharp and the characters are rich in their simplicity: they have a sort of âI can't believe this is happening to usâ innocence about them. Adele is excellent as the supportive but highly unhappy girlfriend. The brief scene where she describes her initial meeting with Tom as "love at first sight" immediately followed a confused Tom murmuring "Huh?" is hilarious. Worried that he's coming off as a failure and she's looking like a bitch, her soliloquy to the camera crew is believable and natural—for a second she almost looks like she's heading towards a jump off the balcony. Then there's Tom of course. "In film school they told us that the camera never lies. But does it tell the truth?" he asks ominously. Not particularly intellectual, his character mixes metaphors and likens his work to that of painters who don't worry about canvas size or colors: it's just their feeling as artists. He just wants to "take his painting and put it down on film". Finally, the smarmy producer Davies, dressed in black, puffing on a cigarette and spouting out his Hollywood philosophy is funny: there's no need for Tom's film in America, he posits.
One of the most entertaining aspects of They Shoot Movies, Don't They is the explanation of how this film was marketed as a documentary to distributors on "Top Secret Commentary Track."
A small, smart film that packs a lot of manipulative punch.
Anji Milanovic
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