We Make Movies (NR)

“We Make Movies” is an independent film written and directed by Matt Tory. Tory, who has seven writing credits to his name, including 2013’s “The Family” and the 2014 short “Out of the Blue,” tries his hand at a mockumentary-style film here, with mixed results. “We Make Movies,” as other critics cite, is lighthearted, and does its best to paint layers of friendship and camaraderie throughout. It succeeds moderately. The film’s characters are likable, even Tory’s narcissist type ‘Stevphen,” though he tries awfully hard not to be. But the film falls a little flat. Acting wise the film is hit or miss, it’s overlong at 1 hour and 51 minutes, and lacks the kind of in-depth introspection or humor that makes films like this successful. 

I read a number of reviews of “We Make Movies,” and many liken Tory’s Stevphen to Steve Carrell in “The Office;” and I suppose they are correct. I feel that fans of that show, or of Carrell’s dry, oblivious narration, are the audience Tory was going for here. The basic plot is that Stevphen is making a movie, it’s called “A New Don: The Inspiring Story of How the President’s Nephew Fell in Love, Saved a Nation, and Found His Way Home.” This long-titled movie is not to be taken seriously, but it’s production is, albeit in a mocking way. “We Make Movies,” loosely tied together, is a comedy about the hijinks that can, and do, unfold during the making of a low-budget movie. Along the way the actors starring in the film grow, as do tempers, frustrations, and, by the end, their friendships.

For a film produced on a low budget, “We Make Movies” features capable cinematography. It’s filmed by Austin Duncan and Jodan Hopewell (the latter who plays one of the main roles in the film) and is crisply digital. We see a lot of interesting filming locations throughout the movie, such as a (seemingly) deserted ranch house, a scathing desert, and a quaint countryside. There’s not a lot of play in the way of lighting, closeups are fresh and clear. It makes for a more engaging picture; sometimes with indies, especially ones with low budgets, clarity of picture can become a concern. This is definitely not the case with “We Make Movies.”

It’s also through the film’s cinematography that we discover its strongest asset, which is the acting of Tory, and the sense of camaraderie that he was able to elicit from the other actors. I was impressed with Tory, especially during closeups, in his ability to come across strong and natural. Even when the film breaks from the traditional “mockumentary” aim, Tory shows strength. One scene between he and Hopewell, as Tory describes feelings he may have developed for a cast member, hints at a deeper treasure to “We Make Movies” that unfortunately the film doesn’t take any time to develop.

It’s laughs its makers are after. They seem to seek these by dredging certain characters through the mud, showing Stevphen explode into tirades about the cast ruining his perfect film, or by showing inter-cast skirmishes that “We Make Movies” provides and offers as entertainment. Unfortunately, the humor mostly falls flat, as we don’t really know enough about the characters to feel for them. We feel for Stevphen, as narcissistic as he is, because we do know him. However, the rest of the cast feels painted incredibly thin. There’s the best friend (Hopewell) who’s maybe taken guff from the director for long enough. There’s the ‘talent’ (Zack Slort) who takes every chance to let everyone know how good he is. And there’s a friend (Jonathan Holmes) and a new girl, played by Anne Crockett, who stay on Stevphen’s good side as long as they don’t get in the way of his production. Stevphen yells a lot; it’s intended as humor, but by the film’s unavoidable ‘we’ve had enough scene,’ we’ve seen it coming from a long way away.

While the laughs are in short supply, that’s not to say that you won’t get anything out of “We Make Movies.” For a film almost two hours in length it does pass quickly, is filmed well, and, rather astutely, makes us believe that this group has gone through the trials and tribulations of making a movie together.

I watched “We Make Movies” off the heels of another mockumentary, “Con,” directed by Bertie Brosnan. That movie deals with serious material; “We Make Movies” does not. It’s not deep but isn’t intended to be. It will mostly appeal to those in the throes of making a low budget film, or those who closely follow the indie circuit. Other audiences, who may be looking for a deeper or laugh-out-loud film, may find harder footing.