American Cannibal: The Road to Reality

This documentary was definitely one that held my attention from the beginning to the end. There was a good balance of intense and comic moments to hold my interest. The people featured in the doc were also a good choice since I found the chemistry between the two writers very entertaining and then there is Kevin Blatt who you love to hate. American Cannibal is a revealing look into our Reality Television obsessed culture and just how far some people are willing to go for their fifteen minutes of fame. It is great for people who watch reality television but also has value for those who have never tuned into an episode of survivor. The events and points made by this documentary are ones that are not easily forgotten.

I got a chance to check out 'American Cannibal' at Tribeca, and was truly blown away. The film is a wild ride through the creative process of two writers forced to choose between artistic integrity and the ever-alluring charms of 'success' and all its pitfalls.

The documentary follows Gil Ripley and Dave Roberts, two hungry young TV writers who face their first encounter with the harsh realities of the business after a sitcom pilot they wrote is rejected by the networks. This failure sends them into a whirlwind of desperate pitching as they try to find a home for their new project: reality television. Through a series of hysterical pitches, their voyage takes them all the way from IFC to the seedy porn underworld of immorality czar Kevin Blatt (promoter of the infamous Paris Hilton sex tapes).

What follows is pure tragedy as the viewer has a ringside seat to the disaster of reality television. The laughs are continuous, as the two scribes are rooted in comedy writing and their real life back-and-forth exchanges blow away any scripted Hollywood buddy movie. Another stand-out is Kevin Blatt, the larger-than-life 'accidental pornographer' that serves as a major supporting character in the story. Blatt's presence (like many of the events the film captures) seems like a lucky accident for the filmmakers; from his first appearance onwards, his immorality is magnetic and his rants inspired. (I heard a fellow movie-goer describe him as the 'Tony Soprano of Porn.' Dead on.)

'American Cannibal' is brilliantly edited, sprinkled with morsels of cynicism from reality TV insiders. Viewers will be aghast at the behind-the-scenes grit of the industry, while simultaneously gripped by the personal arc of the two protagonists. I highly recommend this film and believe it stands as a prime example of edgy and engaging documentary film-making, maintaining a delicate balance between the sleazy, cut-throat spectacle of reality television and the endearing conflict of two writers just trying to get a break.

Entertaining and important! American Cannibal is a very entertaining movie. You laugh almost the entire time. When you don't laugh – you think and that makes American Cannibal important. The questions of ethics and limits, dubious aesthetics and moral extrusion are raised in a way that allows the audience to reflect on the greatest societal dilemmas while having fun.

American Cannibal voices what everyone is thinking and only few are talking about. Yet, for those who prefer not to talk or even hear the message, it offers an amusing display of entertaining characters and a captivating story line.

So ENJOY!

I saw this movie at a screening during the Tribeca Film Festival. A couple of people had recommended I check it out, and since I enjoy docs I thought this was a good one to try out at the festival. I was not disappointed. The movie was well done and compelling. The Kevin Blatt character ate up the screen, and while I didn't really feel that bad for the two writers breaking up, I couldn't take my eyes off the uncomfortable scenes these guys were wrapped up in.

The Paris Hilton bombshell didn't mean much to me, since everyone already knew that she made money off the video and helped it get distributed, but it was still interesting to finally have someone talk about it on camera.

My big question from this was what is the f&^%in deal with the girl - I thought I saw something in the movie that others I was with didn't see, so i'm curious to see if this gets distributed and gets anymore exposure - then what comes of that girl's injury and her story?

Of the 12 films I saw at The Provincetown Film Festival (known for always having a strong slate of gay and lesbian films) American Cannibal (neither gay nor lesbian) was without question the most cutting edge, the most provocative and the best money I spent at the festival.

The film focuses on two writers who get caught up in pitching a reality TV show to the pornographer who is behind the Paris Hilton Sex tape... The writers are so lovable and so human and, like many of us, have to take a job for the money. The consequences are sad and shocking.

It's been five days since I saw it in our tiny little p-town theater and I cannot stop thinking about it. Like great works of art this film has stayed with me, this film inspired me, this film is one that I've been telling everyone about. Fabulous entertainment. It plays as a historical document of what is going on in popular entertainment. American Cannibal... We are eating ourselves to be entertained.