This Is Not a Film (2003)

New Yorker Michael Connor attempts to find the woman who left him by making a film about her, hoping that someone (maybe you?) will recognize his ex and convince her to get back together ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael A. Nickles

Writer:

Michael A. Nickles

Stars:

Michael Leydon Campbell, Nadia Dajani, Craig Carlisle

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

New Yorker Michael Connor attempts to find the woman who left him by making a film about her, hoping that someone (maybe you?) will recognize his ex and convince her to get back together with him. To help the viewer understand who he is and why his girlfriend left, Michael opts to re-enact his failed relationship for the camera. He hires an actress to portray his ex-girlfriend, and during the process of filming she quickly and mercilessly points out all of his mistakes, blunders and inadequacies as a boyfriend. "This Is Not a Film" is a romantic comedy about making mistakes and recognizing them in the most painful way possible--by making them over and over again.

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Plot Keywords:

actress | new york city | filmmaking | obsession | talking to the camera | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 2003 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Beechtree Films, P.I.P.E. Productions, Pictures In Progression Entertainment Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

There are several references to the Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. Magritte is the answer to one of Michael Connor's crossword puzzles, given by The Puzzler. The title of the film parallels the phrase "This is not a pipe" ("Ceci n'est pas une pipe") used in conjuncture with the image of a pipe in several Magritte paintings, namely The Treachery of Images (La trahison des images, 1928-29), The Tune and Also the Words (1964),and Les Deux Mystères (1966).

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Quotes

Michael Connor: I don't want people to think I have a foot fetish - I don't. What I have is a deep level of appreciation. I mean, I'm not one of those guys buying magazines of people in leather sucking toes!
Nadia: And yet - he works in a shoe store.

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Connections

References Fight Club (1999)

User Reviews

An All Around Good Movie

Okay, it's almost the end of my fall break. I've been bored. I was scanning the DISH Network guide when I saw a movie called "This Is Not A Film". It had an interesting title so I thought I'd give it a shot. It turned out to be a very excellent movie. The movie/documentary focuses on Michael Connors or something like that. He and his friends Nichols and Lindsey are making a movie about a relationship he had with an Irish woman named Grace. Also, he gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his life and such. Basically, what he wanted to do was get the viewers of the film to tell Grace if they saw her that he was sorry or something like that. He gets his friend Nadia to play Grace and Patty (The woman he was sleeping with.) During the process, he discovers that he screwed up big time.

It was very touching. I really felt for the main character. He was such a goof. Also, Nadia's portrayal as Grace was Oscarworthy at times. (Especially during the really emotional scenes.) If you ever get the opportunity to watch this, do it. You won't be sorry. My rating: 9/10. (Nadia's costuming as Patty was a little ridiculous.)