Home Movies (1980)

Keith Gordon is a creative young man who films the oddball doings of his family and peers. "The Maestro" appears frequently to give him pointers on his techniques. It's almost a film about ... See full summary »

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writers:

Kim Ambler, Brian De Palma (story),

Stars:

Nancy Allen, Mary Davenport, Kirk Douglas

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nancy Allen	...	Kristina
Mary Davenport	...	Mrs. Byrd
Kirk Douglas	...	Dr. Tuttle 'The Maestro'
Vincent Gardenia	...	Doctor Byrd
Keith Gordon	...	Denis Byrd
Gerrit Graham	...	James Byrd
Loretta Tupper	...	Grandma
Captain Haggerty	...	Policeman
Theresa Saldana	...	Judy
Kari Borg	...	Swedish Nurse
Constance Ilowitz	...	Lawyer's Secretary
Kim Herbert	...	Biker
Ross Barnes	...	Mark
Stephen Le May	...	Matthew
Charlie Loventhal	...	Thomas (as Charles Loventhal)

Storyline

Keith Gordon is a creative young man who films the oddball doings of his family and peers. "The Maestro" appears frequently to give him pointers on his techniques. It's almost a film about a young man making the film.

---

Plot Keywords:

independent film

---

Taglines:

Brian de Palma's comedy that catches every body in the act!

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1980 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Maestro

Filming Locations:

Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

SLC

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Co-Directed by DePalma with a rotating set of student directors; he defined their contribution of roughly 5 percent of the shots in the film.

User Reviews

A GENUINELY STRANGE FILM

Brian DePalma's "Home Movies" is a genuinely strange film. It is hard to believe that DePalma made this. It doesn't have the superb technical credits that you come to expect from him. It doesn't have a logical story (for DePalma that is). And it doesn't have the big budgets DePalma's films are accustomed to ("Sisters" has a budget of 500,000 bucks; this film was made on a few thousand)

What it does have is a goofy charm that most Hollywood comedies lack these days. The story is nonsense, but that's a good thing in this case. And the low budget is appropriate because it suits the story. Most of the cast are from other DePalma films, of which I'll let you know.

The film stars Kirk Douglas ("The Fury")as The Maestro (the video title), a teacher who films his life constantly. He attempts to have his prize pupil Keith Gordon ("Dressed to Kill")do the same, but he has problems of his own. The object of his affection is Nancy Allen ("Dressed to Kill", "Carrie", "Blow Out"), a hooker who has too many vices for her own good. The problem? She is attached to Gordon's brother (wonderfully played by Gerrit Graham, who appeared in most of DePalma's early films and just about stole "Soup for One"), who is a nut.

All this is established within the first 25 minutes or so and the film's success depends on all of the surprises DePalma sets up, so I won't reveal any more. Some people might be turned off of "Home Movies" possibly due to the content, but more probably due to the visual style. Today's audiences are accustomed to gloss and if they don't get it, they protest. If you are one of those people, I just want to say three words: SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!! How dare you criticize a film just because it doesn't look glossy like Hollywood product does? "Pi", a film I admired highly, had the same dilemma. Made on a shoestring budget, the film's grittiness helped it more than hurt it and the same goes for "Home Movies".

DePalma shoots on 16mm and makes the film look like someone's home movies, which is appropriate since the Kirk Douglas character is constantly filming his own life (and others). Also, give DePalma credit for helping his students get a first credit (the film was made as a class project for Sarah Lawrence College). Robby Benson did a similar thing in 1990 with "Modern Love" and was heavily criticized, despite the fact that it was a good, strong film. "Home Movies" isn't as strong as his more accomplished thrillers, but it is a very entertaining movie that had me smiling most of the way. And how can you hate any movie that casts Gerrit Graham as a slimeball?

*** out of 4 stars