Cinema Verite is a 2011 HBO drama film directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. The film's main ensemble cast starred Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, James Gandolfini and Patrick Fugit. The film follows a fictionalized account of the production of An American Family, a 1973 PBS documentary television series that is said to be one of the earliest examples of the reality television genre. Principal photography was completed in Southern California. The film premiered on April 23, 2011.
Plot In 1971, Craig Gilbert discusses with Pat Loud the idea of a documentary series that would concern her family's day-to-day lives in Santa Barbara, California. Pat considers the proposal and accepts, amidst her son Lance moving to New York City. Pat's husband Bill travels often away on business, leaving Pat alone to care for their five children.
The crew, including Alan and Susan Raymond, moves in with the Louds and begins to document them. Relations between Pat and Bill grow frayed due to his time away and the stress of the TV show's production. Gilbert tells Pat of his suspicions surrounding Bill's trips away, giving fairly strong evidence that he is cheating on her. The crew fights with Gilbert about his documentary technique, as he makes them film many personal moments.
After surreptitiously duplicating the keys to Bill's office, Pat makes a late night trip to the office and discovers documents that confirm he is cheating on Pat with two other women, resulting in Pat's preparations to file for a divorce. Angry, she tells Gilbert to have cameras there when she tells Bill, wanting "his bimbos to see it, the whole world to see it." Against her wishes, he films Pat's conversation with her brother Tom Russell and his wife Yvonne.
Pat begins to regret her decision to let Gilbert film the break up and tries to get Grant, one of her sons, to tell him while driving Bill home instead. He, however, does not work up the courage to do this and Pat kicks Bill out of her home on camera.
One year later, An American Family is experiencing its premiere. The show airs to strong television ratings but much criticism of members of the family, in particular Pat for how she came off on camera and Lance for his homosexuality. The family then gets together to "fight back", addressing their critics by appearing on many talk shows.
Title cards at film's end offer updates for each Loud family member. Lance died of AIDS-related hepatitis in 2001; his last wish for his parents was to cohabitate. They currently live together in Los Angeles.
Cast Diane Lane as Pat Loud Tim Robbins as Bill Loud James Gandolfini as Craig Gilbert Thomas Dekker as Lance Loud Caitlin Custer as Delilah Loud Kaitlyn Dever as Michelle Loud Nick Eversman as Grant Loud Johnny Simmons as Kevin Loud Patrick Fugit as Alan Raymond Shanna Collins as Susan Raymond Jake Richardson as Tommy Goodwin Kathleen Quinlan as Mary Every Lolita Davidovich as Val Matt O'Leary as Cameron Stephen Caffrey as Tom Russell Monika Jolly as Yvonne Russell Willam Belli as Candy Darling Kyle Riabko as Jackie Curtis Richard Fancy as Hartford N. Gunn Jr. Don McManus as Host Robert Curtis Brown as Anthropologist Dawn Hudson as Commentator Molly Hagan as Kay Sean O'Bryan as Johnny Hall Michelle Morgan as Salesgirl Emilio Rivera as Nightwatchman
Production Principal photography was completed primarily in Los Angeles, California.Filming locations
The film is presented in chapters, with chapter titles such as The Chelsea and The Battle for the Camera Begins. When the chapter titles are shown, short clips from the original 1973 documentary An American Family are shown alongside in split screen format.
Critical reception Cinema Verite met with a positive reception from television critics. On review aggregator Metacritic the film received a "generally positive" score of 74 out of 100, based on 23 reviews.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref. Artios Awards Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Movie/Mini Series Randi Hiller Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Diane Lane Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Thomas Dekker Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Best Cinematography in a Non-Series Best Editing in a Non-Series Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series Best Music in a Non-Series Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries or Movie Gavin Polone, Zanne Devine, and Karyn McCarthy Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Diane Lane Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Randi Hiller Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Suttirat Anne Larlarb and Joseph T. Mastrolia Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie Terry Baliel, Carol Pershing, and Beth Miller Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic) Mindy Hall, Kimberly Felix, and Julie Hewett Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie Sarah Flack and Robert Pulcini Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie Petur Hliddal, Lora Hirschberg, Scott R. Lewis, and Douglas Murray Satellite Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Diane Lane Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials Women's Image Network Awards Actress Made for Television Movie Diane Lane American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television Sarah Flack and Robert Pulcini Art Directors Guild Awards Excellence in Production Design Award – Television Movie or Mini-Series Patti Podesta, Dawn Masi, Christopher Tandon, Philip Toolin, Martin Charles, Eric Rosenberg, Meg Everist, and James V. Kent Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series Petur Hliddal, Lora Hirschberg, Scott R. Lewis, Douglas Murray, and Greg Townley GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Television Film Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film Diane Lane Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film Tim Robbins Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Long Form Dialogue and ADR in Television Douglas Murray, Susan Dudeck, and Kim Foscato Best Sound Editing - Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television Douglas Murray, Steve Bissinger, Kim Foscato, Larry Oatfield, Robert Shoup, Goro Koyama, and Andy Malcolm Guild of Music Supervisors Awards Best Music Supervision for Television Long Form and Movie Evyen Klean Humanitas Prize 90 Minute or Longer Network or Syndicated Television David Seltzer Producers Guild of America Awards David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Zanne Devine and Karyn McCarthy Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries Diane Lane Writers Guild of America Awards Long Form – Original David Seltzer
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