CINEMA VERITE (2011) - Movie Review

Director: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, James Gandolfini, Thomas Dekker, Kaitlyn Dever, Caitlin Custer, Patrick Fugit, Shanna Collins, Lolita Davidovich
Genre: Drama
Writer: David Seltzer
Runtime: 86 min
Rated: TV-14
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video

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Synopsis:

Decades before housewives had screaming matches with each other on camera in public, the Loud family became a television sensation of a new kind when they appeared on the groundbreaking 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family. Pat and Bill Loud are approached by producer Craig Gilbert to make television history - to become the first real-life family to allow cameras into their home and their private lives. Soon enough the cameras reveal deep-seated family issues. Witness the birth of reality television as Diane Lane, Tim Robbins and James Gandolfini star in HBO Films' presentation of Cinema Verite.

Review:

HBO's TV movie "Cinema Verite" explores an intriguing episode in American television history, which eventually led to the rise of what we now call "reality TV shows". "American Splendor" directors Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini bring forth a fictionalized portrayal of the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the 1973 PBS documentary TV series "An American Family", which set out to document in minute detail the lives of an ordinary family.

Like most HBO productions, it looks and sounds great, with very authentic period art direction, impressive attention to details, and virtuoso editing. The cast is well-selected and universally amazing, with particularly strong performances from Diane Lane, Tim Robbins and James Gandolfini.

The script written by David Seltzer ("The Omen") is smart and tight, making its point about the treacherous depths of reality and the consequences of celebrity with sufficient clarity, without getting bogged down in preachiness. It's also very clinical in its observations and almost journalistic in the way it chronicles the true story without attempting to manipulate the viewer. One the other hand, it's also very emotionally dry and detached.

The biggest problem is that 80 minutes is not enough time to properly develop such a complex story, and I couldn't shake the feeling that the movie was just barely skimming the surface of these interesting people and their complex personalities. It also devotes very little time to the show's aftermath, rushing towards a title card conclusion that feels underwhelming.

Despite its flaws, "Cinema Verite" still works as a chronicle of a fascinating moment in the history of television and sets the stage for a collection of wonderful performances. It's not as engrossing as the real-life story that inspired it, but it's still a good docu-drama and well worth a watch.

SCORE: 7/10