Home Movies

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

This film is totally unlike anything I've ever seen from De Palma. It's a dysfunctional family comedy filmed with purposely shoddy production to get over the premise that we are really watching a home movie shot by the main character.

Kirk Douglas plays The Maestro, a film instructor who starts his new class off by showing his recent failure to make Keith Gordon the star of his own movie. Gordon is one of those people who exist without anyone really knowing it. He doesn't appear to have any friends and his family doesn't give him the time of day. His father (the late Vincent Gardenia) is a quack doctor who cheats on his wife with his nurse (and probably his female patients). His mother (Mary Davenport) is too concerned about this, continually wavering on whether to divorce him or accept all the blame for not being able to satisfy him. The rest of the time, she's interested in what her good son that she's so proud of even though she doesn't understand him in the least is up to. Gerrit Graham is an elitist who essentially lives and teaches naturalism and sexism at Now College. He'd rather plant his seed in the ground than in Nancy Allen, but since it's not possible for man to do that yet, he decides he'll marry her if he can convert her to his ways. Allen is an interesting choice for him to try to convert because she's a whore who drinks, smokes, and eats evil fast food. She totally worships him so she attempts to give it all up for a life with him that's, all things considered, less of a life than she had before because a woman in his world essentially can't do anything.

Since Gordon's life is an utter bore, Douglas gets him to film things that the average Joe would pay to see. Thus, Gordon decides to try to catch his father in the act to help his mom get the divorce and to steal Allen away from his brother, who has always been the center of attention and one that won in the past, by convincing her that she's fine as she is.

The movie is absurd, but generally in a way that's humorous without going overboard. It's definitely somewhat farcical in its look at filmmaking by the inexperienced and this quirky family.

Graham does an excellent job of playing his wacky character that considers himself to be of the utmost knowledge, but can't convey his points in a way where anyone understands them (he explains with lines like those who know know). What makes it even funnier is that he's held in such high regard, yet his disciples consist of about 5 rejects that just pretend to understand and buy into his philosophies to his tirades and/or being verbally berated.

Allen has a tougher role than in her other films with De Palma, as she tries to be a good girl but she's constantly being tempted, so she gets to have some interesting personality shifts. She's been in better films, but this is the one where she really stands out as someone that could really act.

The thing with the style is De Palma seems to waver between whether he wants us to believe it's all a home movie or not. At some points we see Gordon going under cover in a Soul Man kind of outfit to spy on his father, but most of the time it's obvious that Gordon isn't filming and, based on the camera angles, not believable that anyone else could be without being seen. To make things more bizarre, Douglas just appears out of nowhere, even popping up in a tree at one point while Gordon is failing to catch his dad in action. The only true breaks in the style are a few dreamy shots of Allen that make her look really beautiful, perhaps so the filmmakers in the film can be described as hacks that luck into a nice scene once every couple of days.

In terms of style, the animation opening is what steals the show. Not that the animations are technical in any way, but it sets up the whole movie by introducing all the characters and the caricatures of them are quite humorous.

It seems like De Palma was just having fun with this one. If you take this at face value than it's easy to rank on because it's got its share of implausibilities. If you don't focus on who is filming the movie then it's solid because the actions of the characters are believable (considering what the characters are like) and the progression is logical. As a whole it's a mess, but an enjoyable one that was years ahead of its time. It's out there, but if you like movies with weird families such as Some Girls and didn't find the production of Blair Witch to be a detriment then this is another to check out. I'm glad this isn't De Palma's regular style because we would have been robbed of some great, highly stylish films, but as a one-time experiment it's successful enough and a cool kind of different. I think most people would like his far more conventional comedy Wise Guys better, but I found this story far more humorous and a lot less goofy. 7/10

After two highly successful commercial ventures in Carrie and The Fury, Brian DePalma apparently decided he needed a little fun and frolic. So Home Movies was made using the talents of a lot of people who appeared in DePalma projects.

Home movies is like a film casserole where a lot of his film students got to step to the plate and take their best shot. Roughly speaking the film centers around Keith Gordon the younger brother of Gerrit Graham. They are the sons of Vincent Gardenia a philandering doctor and Mary Davenport his clueless wife.

Graham is set to marry former hooker Nancy Allen. He's rather full of himself and also a latently gay individual. But he's the eldest and chosen one and Gordon is the nerdy younger brother who spends his time filming some of the private moments of the family, a little cinema verite for his film professor Kirk Douglas.

Watching Home Movies I got the impression I was not being let in on an inside joke. And I rather resented the situation.

It all seemed like a colossal waste of time for all involved. The name players must have owed DePalma big time to appear here.

The story about how "Home Movies" was made make it a very unusual film! Brian De Palma was apparently teaching a film class and he got his students to make this movie....with the help of a few established actors, such as Kirk Douglas and Vincent Gardenia. Originally, I don't think it was intended as a film to be released to theaters and it had a minimal budget. But somehow as they made the film, they were able to get some stars and the budget skyrocketed.

Because it was an experimental film, the story was made using 20 different students as directors. As a result of this and the other non-professionals making the movie, it comes off as rather disjoint and strange. But again, the movie was NOT intended to be a typical movie...more an odd experimental one. So despite it's many shortcomings I really don't want to attack it or put it down for its limitations. Plus, several actors in the film went on to some starring roles, such as Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon.

This is a movie more for the curious than for anyone wanting to see a traditional movie. If you are curious, it's on YouTube and can be viewed for free.

I first saw Home Movies on cable TV in the early 80s, before I was even a teenager. I was drawn in by Nancy Allen being 'possessed' by a foul-mouthed bunny rabbit hand-puppet. I found it hilarious and watched the movie anytime it aired during that month or so. I could never forget it and looked for it on VHS later in the 80s when we got our first VCR. Then, I had a laserdisc of the movie, then the DVD (which appears to be a straight transfer of the laserdisc). Now in my mid-50s, I still adore this wacky movie from start to finish, right from the opening notes of the catchy string intro theme.

The characters are hilariously messed up. Mom is a drama queen faking suicide attempts due to being attention starved for her endlessly cheating and flirting husband, always finding a reason to cry and feel sorry for herself. James is the domineering older brother who is attempting to rehabilitate Nancy Allen's character from her prostitution past, which included the bunny hand-puppet. Taking it to extremes with a Temptation Marathon, subjecting her to weaknesses: "Can she resist". Denis is the nerdy younger brother, but the most normal of all of them.

Mom adores James as the perfect son, often pushing kind-hearted Denis aside suggesting he be more like James. But James has a latency presented during his alleged teaching of his sort of boy scout troupe how to be 'men' as he tries to get them to kiss each other under the guise of showing them how to please a woman. It's so funny and ludicrous as the students resist the direction.

From start to finish, the whole movie is like an adult cartoon of the most slapstick kind, and there are quirky touches everywhere, from out-of-nowhere sound effects, exploding tapes, to dramatic light breezes during key moments of dialog.

Nancy Allen as Kristina tries so hard to please James and become what he wants her to be, which is a requirement of their pending nuptials. That is, until she catches his antics with his troupe. That's when Bunny reappears in her life on the day of her engagement party giving a peek into her past to hilarious effect. Watching her stumble around the house sedated with that rabbit puppet handing out "glossies" and telling everyone to "Catch us at the Pussycat" has been seared into brain since I was 12 years old, and I love it!

I don't expect too many people will appreciate this student film, but I clicked with it instantly. The following year, De Palma would go on to further success with Dressed To Kill, also staring Nancy Allen and Keith Gordon from this film, along with a cameo of the amusingly dramatic mom Mary Davenport making disgusted faces at the end of that film when Nancy details male to female sex change surgery.

It's insane, it's very politically incorrect (especially by today's boring standards), and it's a lot of fun if you can appreciate it.