I was an extra in this film, a face in the crowd for the competition scenes. Even then, it was clear that this film was destined to fail. For one thing, it filmed in Phoenix, a seemingly cursed location that didn't produce box office gold until films like Jerry Maguire and Waiting to Exhale came out.
Oh, and the plot was secondary. Remember those weird surfer movies of the 60's and 70's -- the ones whose primary aim was to show off waves, boards and bikinis? American Anthem was like that, but for gymnastics fans. American Anthem might have started an interesting genre had it proved popular.
The set designers were quite the artists. The competition scenes were shot in the bowels of a 60 year old abandoned high school auditorium in downtown Phoenix. This building was literally falling down during production. The fact that they were able to mask this ancient hazard (and that no one was killed during filming) was quite an accomplishment.
Oh, and the plot was secondary. Remember those weird surfer movies of the 60's and 70's -- the ones whose primary aim was to show off waves, boards and bikinis? American Anthem was like that, but for gymnastics fans. American Anthem might have started an interesting genre had it proved popular.
The set designers were quite the artists. The competition scenes were shot in the bowels of a 60 year old abandoned high school auditorium in downtown Phoenix. This building was literally falling down during production. The fact that they were able to mask this ancient hazard (and that no one was killed during filming) was quite an accomplishment.