This Is Not a Film (2003)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Michael A. Nickles

Writer:

Michael A. Nickles (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

New Yorker Michael Connor attempts to find the woman who left him by making a film about her, hoping...

Plot Keywords:

Ex Girlfriend | Actress | Talk To Camera | Ex Boyfriend | New York City

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Michael Leydon Campbell	...	Michael Connor
Nadia Dajani	...	Nadia / Grace / Patty
Craig Carlisle	...	George Connor
Jack Kehler	...	The Puzzler
Callie Thorne	...	Callie
Cinda Adams
Nancy Broccolo
Jacqueline Bowman	...	Claire
Mari Biochler
David De Angelis		(as Dave DeAngelis)
Dorien Davies
Shannon Gold
Pamela Gordon
Danny Kon
Nick Lindsay

Runtime:

USA:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-PG

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Beechtree Films

Quotes:

Nadia: The lines are stupid!
Michael Connor: No - they happened!
Nadia: Which makes them stupid TWICE.

Movie Connections:

References Fight Club (1999)

This is an alright film...

This is not a film is a clever, witty and often heart touching movie. It's a retrospective of a failed relationship between Michael Connor (Michael Leydon Campbell) and his estranged Irish girlfriend Grace Mckenna. Michael down on his luck decides to make a documentary replaying his whole relationship and what went wrong. He exploits his friendship with an actor he met at the gym Nadia (Nadia Dajani) who he gets to play Grace. The concept of this film is very original. Michaels relationship is shown from every point whether it's a high or low. Michael Leydon Campbell pulls off a fantastic performance that makes you want to help him find Grace. If fact most of the characters pull off great performances except the puzzler. The puzzler is needed to move the plot along yet seems too surreal to exist in a coffee shop. His monologues are often overdrawn and pointless. This is proved when he says "Out of this chaos, we're all trying to create order. And out of the order, meaning. But in reality there is no such thing as meaning. Something only has meaning if we make it have meaning."

The commentary saves this movie. The commentary is done in the vain of This is Spinal Tap and has Michael and his brother explain the problems they had while making the film. Michael offers a very funny self conscious commentary that makes for some very good belly laughs.

Overall I'd give this movie a 7/10.