''American Reel'' is a 1999

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Mark Archer Mark Archer is an American film and television producer, director and writer. He was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Career His credits include the 1997 Sundance Film Festival winner, ''In the Company of Men'', for which he was nominated for "Best ...

and starring

David Carradine David Carradine ( ; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor best known for playing martial arts roles. He is perhaps best known as the star of the 1970s television series '' Kung Fu'', playi ...

, Michael Maloney, and

Mariel Hemingway Mariel Hadley Hemingway (born November 22, 1961) is an American actress. She began acting at age 14 with a Golden Globe-nominated breakout role in ''Lipstick'' (1976), and she received Academy and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in W ...

. Written by Junior Burke and Scott Fivelson, the film is set in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, though primary filming locations included

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

Waterloo, Indiana Waterloo is a town in Grant and Smithfield townships, DeKalb County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,242 at the 2010 census. History Waterloo was laid out in 1856 when the railroad was extended to that point. It was likely named afte ...

, and

Hicksville, Ohio Hicksville is a village in Defiance County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,581 at the 2010 census. It sits around 2.2 miles east from the Ohio- Indiana border. History Led by Henry W. Hicks, the Hicks Land Company platted the comm ...

. The film, which features Carradine singing five of his original songs, has been heralded as a "tailor-made" showcase of the late actor's little-known musical work.

Synopsis

Country singer James Lee Springer (Carradine) has just become an overnight sensation—after 20 years of trying to make it by playing every honky-tonk west (and east) of the Big Muddy. But after so many years of waiting and hoping, the only question is whether it's all worth it.

Cast

as James Lee Springer * Michael Maloney as Jason Fields *

as Disney Rifkin * Marina Anderson as Commercial Director * Larissa Borkowski as Natasha * Troy Clark as James' Cousin * Kevin Ferguson as Tony Marty * Mike Leonardo as Music Video Director * Melissa Long as Entertainment Reporter * Willy T. Ribbs as Jason's Attorney * Mark Schiff as Marvin Ayres * Rebecca Shea as Legal Secretary * Matt Socia as Blair Whiteman * Carrie Wellman as Radio Interviewer (uncredited)

DVD

The DVD of the film was released in 2003 and contains interviews with the cast, and a behind the scenes gallery of photos. In 2012, the film was re-released and made available on streaming services such as

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

and Amazon Prime Video.

Reprises

Though the film was initially released with little publicity, it has become appreciated by Carradine's more loyal fans, and has been screened multiple times since the actor's passing. *On December 8, 2011,

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

New Beverly Cinema The New Beverly Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Los Angeles, California. Housed in a building that dates back to the 1920s, it is one of the oldest revival houses in the region. Since 2007, it has been owned by filmmaker Quentin Tar ...

included the film in a double screening with '' Kill Bill: Volume 2'' as part of an annual tribute to David Carradine and his work. The film was chosen because it helped highlight Carradine's little-known musical work, and the event included performances by the re-incarnation of Carradine's musical band "The Cosmic Rescue Team." *On September 7, 2012, the

Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation The Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation is an agency of the County of Los Angeles which oversees its parks and recreational facilities. It was created in 1944. It operates and maintains over of parks, gardens, lakes, natural ga ...

screened the film in Pershing Square in Downtown Los Angeles as part of the department's "Under the Sheet Music" outdoor film series.

References

External links

* * * {{Rotten-tomatoes, id=american_reel, title=American Reel 1999 films 1999 drama films 1990s English-language films 2000s English-language films 1990s American films 2000s American films American drama films Films shot in Indiana

Synopsis

Cast

DVD

Reprises

See also

References

External links