***NOTE: While I am a MoviePass subscriber, this is neither an endorsement nor a condemnation of their products/services.***
It’s been a rough year financially for MoviePass. They are hemorrhaging cash in order to run their subscription service and their parent company, Helios and Matheson Analytics, is taking it on the chin. Their stock has plummeted from about $32-per-share down around $0.32-per share since October of last year. The subscription based movie service is $40-million in the hole right now and that number will be closer to $45-million by the end of June, but they aren’t operating as if they are massively in the red. Earlier this year the company formed MoviePass Ventures, to acquire and distribute independent films, and Movie Pass Films, which I imagine will serve as their own in house production wing. The ultimate goal being to use their subscription service in order to funnel users to see films affixed with the MoviePass name. It doesn’t take a genius to see that results in MoviePass, quite literally, buying tickets to their own movies. Probably another poor business decision but, I don’t care what they do with their money, I just want to see quality films at the lowest possible cost to myself. For what it’s worth, the first film they acquired, is surprisingly well made and more fun than anticipated. American Animals is part heist film and part documentary. It’s the true story a group of friends who decided to steal a set of rare and valuable books…simply because their lives aren’t interesting enough.
Writer/Director Bart Layton has made a name for himself in British cinema and television for his documentary work and visual style, but this was his first full-length feature film and probably his first major exposure to the American movie audience. It was wise of him not to stray from his wheelhouse completely, incorporating some docu-style elements. The movie is based on a series of interviews, which Layton conducted with the real-life perpetrators, and those segments are integrated into the final film. Think of it kind of as a dramatic reenactment with significantly better acting, storytelling, style and overall filmmaking quality. Layton’s narrative choice provided two important benefits. First, it familiarized the audience with the actual people being portrayed and humanized them. Secondly, it balanced the burden of the portrayals and alleviated some pressure on the cast. There was a symbiotic relationship between the subjects and the predicate, which led to a script that was actualized. The authenticity in the dialogue comes from the recollections of the people involved, rather than being written only to serve plot functions. Layton demonstrated a keen eye for scene setting and a knack for storytelling that’s going to take him far, but strong performances from his primary cast went a long way.
Evan Peters, who found his break through role on American Horror Story, stars as the charismatic and eccentric Warren Lipka. He’s not exactly the brains of the operation but he’s certainly the ringleader and it’s his energy that fuels the ambitious heist. Lipka is anything but a criminal mastermind, but Peters’ portrayal actually thrives in that creative space. He displayed a level of unbridled enthusiasm that’s infectious, even though it’s readily apparent that he’s no hero. Despite the character flaws, it’s hard not to cheer for him…at least a little bit…and that’s due to Peters’ combination of intensity and charisma. It was a fine portrayal for a young actor who’s really just getting started. Once his stunt as Quicksilver in the new X-Men franchise is concluded, I look forward to him taking on some more eclectic roles such as this one.
Playing the other lead, Spencer Reinhard, was Barry Koeghan. He had already acted in 17 movies and a number of short films and TV series, but it wasn’t until 2017 that he broke through with the vastly underrated Killing of a Sacred Deer and, Christopher Nolan’s Oscar nominated war epic, Dunkirk. Koeghan has a unique look and an intimidating focus that is consuming at times. His quiet intensity and stoicism played well as the reluctant mastermind behind the caper. An art student in college, Reinhard was enamored with the suffering of great artists and convinced himself he needed some kind of significant life event to alter his trajectory and elevate him as an artist. That’s where the heist came into play. The young Irish man is just now entering his prime and, with one more movie on deck this year and another in pre-production, we’ll probably see lot of him in the not too distant future.
The other two involved in the robbery were Chas Allen and Eric Borsuk, played by Blake Jenner and Jared Abrahamson respectively. Jenner is pretty intense at times playing the jock with a chip on his shoulder and is very much on point tonally with the actual Allen. That aggression is, however, brought on by the general incompetence of his teammates and an overwhelming desire not to go to jail. Abrahamson is borderline manic almost the whole way through, torn between his desire to do something big and the moral toll it takes on him. The real Borsuk seemed more relaxed than his big screen counterpart, based on the interviews, so there must have been some discussion as to how to approach the character. Both young actors were solid in their roles, but there is no doubt that Koeghan and Peters were the stars.
Anne Nikitin had already scored Layton’s documentary Imposter and came up with some very nice original music to fit the growing gravity of the situation here. What began as a light hearted conversation between to friends smoking weed, about stealing some valuable books, snowballed into a runaway train which ramps up accordingly. She is one of many composers I’ve heard lately using lingering sounds which carrying massive resonance to reinforce a sense of imposing dread, eerily reminiscent of Tuvan throat singing. It may be synthesized but the sound is very distinct and has found a nice home in film scores. Nikitin’s music may not be the first thing you notice, but it ratchets up the intensity at all the right times and embodies the appropriate loss of control. Similarly, Ole Bratt Birkeland’s cinematography isn’t going to jump off the screen at you. However, the majority of the movie is really well framed and there are some creative and colorful shots that helps set the mood on more than one occasion.
This movie wasn’t pinging on a lot of people’s radars. I’d only seen the trailer because I generally see a lot of independent films, but you would have had to go out of your way to even find it. Despite being produced on a clearly low budget, the film is made with ingenuity and quality. It’s strong in multiple areas…well rounded…even if it doesn’t excel at any one particular thing. So far, the numbers at the box office haven’t been great. However, for the first week, it was only available at four theaters in the country, but its performance was respectable. It expanded to 42 theaters a week later and doubled its box office, but dollars-per-screen went down significantly. The film hasn’t exactly thrived in limited release, but it’s set to go nationwide this weekend opposite the new Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. It may be able to pick up some of the stragglers and those looking for something other than the typical summer blockbuster.
Recommendation: If you enjoy heist films, or crime stories in general, there’s no reason you wouldn’t enjoy this one. The lead performances are fun to watch, even during the most troubling part of the film the incorporation of documentary elements make for a uniquely blended experience that feels both fresh and familiar. The R-rating is bit heavy handed, if anything I would consider it a soft-R. It’s not a family film, but there are worse things you could take your kids to.