A well-acted film with fine dialog. The DVD is in widescreen and enhanced for 16:9 TVs.
"Watched it filming!!!!"
2006-02-03
- Reviewed By Ms. Blake Morgan from Fairbanks,Ak., Alaska United States
I worked at thr YMCA in Pawtucket, R.I.,where this was filmed, and was fortunate to see alot of the shooting! One scene was filmed directly outside the YMCA's doors! Met Dennis Franz....what a nice guy! Met the director also....he too was quite congenial.Saw Hoffman,but could not get too close to him...Not like the bear hug, and joking around I enjoyed with Dennis Franz! I liked the movie for perhaps sentimental reasons...and also the young male actor in it was quite good, as well as of course Hoffman, and Franz...but could have done without some elements that were "overdone" i.e. swearing. It is a pretty decent film on the whole.The three actors seemed to work very well together, and I noticed,enjoyed goofing around with each other off-set!
"Hoffman Shines In This Small-Scale Mamet Adaptation"
2006-01-19
- Reviewed By J. Merritt from Washington-Baltimore Corridor
This came and went with nary a peep back in '96, but it deserved more attention than it got. Adaptations of David Mamet's work are not for everyone, I realize, but at least in this case the playwright did the adapting himself. Hoffman is a treat as Teach, a small-time hood who is all talk and very little action. The entire film is essentially a three-person, one-set ensemble piece, but Hoffman, Dennis Franz, and the young Sean Nelson pull it off. Franz wisely chose to underplay his role as Donny, who listens semi-patiently to all of Teach's endless bluster, and Michael Corrente's direction is mostly successful in keeping the film from feeling too stagey.
To say that David Mamet has an ear for language and an eye for human interaction would be an injustice to this ingenious playwright/screen writer, for he transcends even the most astute observor. Few stage plays adapted for the screen maintain their integrity, but "American Buffalo" is the exception. The intensity of this movie is further heightened by the superior acting of both Hoffman and Franz. Many an aspiring actor/playwright could benefit from viewing this outstanding film.
"The Emperor Wears No Clothes"
- Reviewed By Anonymous
Since I have a lot of friends in the theatre business I'm always assailed by Mamet films (whether directed by him or just film adaptations of his plays) whenever I get together with them to watch a movie. Although there are a few Mamet films I enjoy, most of his film offerings are perfect examples of bourgeois cinema.
The director of American Buffalo might as well have had the actors perform the movie on a stage and filmed it like he would a play; the movie felt like a play. Mamet's dialogue might work in the theatre but in the world of film it is contrived at best and seems designed so that the intelligentsia can pat themselves on the back by chortling at the right spots. A.B. is Mamet at his most pretentious and merely proves that lovers of the playwright will sit through his self-congratulatory ... and try to read an insight into his material in order to prove to themselves that they haven't been deceived--that good old David is some witty commentator on society.
But he is not. Mamet is merely the decadent mouthpiece of bourgeois society and American Buffalo, like most of his films, offer no real societal critique and are intelligent only in the way a first year philosophy student in love with Nietzsche is intelligent. The man should stick to writing for the stage since theatre--the perfect medium for pretentious bourgeois art--is the last bastion for pretentious artists like Mamet.
Last updated: Mar 21, 2010 at 12:24 EST. Pricing information is provided by the listed merchants. GoSale.com is not responsible for the accuracy of pricing information, product information or the images provided. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on amazon.com or other merchants at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. As always, be sure to visit the merchant's site to review and verify product information, price, and shipping costs. GoSale.com is not responsible for the content and opinions contained in customer submitted reviews.
Expedited Available
"american buffalo"
"The Emperor Wears No Clothes"