Home Movies Reviews

Douglas is a cult leader influenced by movies, to say the least. His group is called Star Therapy, and members are encouraged "to put your name above the title." He singles out Gordon, "an extra in his own life," and inspires the young man to become the leading player of his own personal movie. Gordon responds by chasing after his brother's fiancee, exposing his doctor-father's affair with a Swedish nurse, and attempting to film himself in a variety of situations. Graham is the brother, a cult freak devoted to Spartan ideals. Allen (DePalma's real-life wife at the time) is Graham's spacey though business-minded girl friend. As for Douglas, he lives his film-cult ideals fully, constantly documenting his life on 16mm film. DePalma made this film with students from his directing class at Sarah Lawrence College. It has a nice, offbeat feel to it, recalling DePalma's early post-film-school work (HI, MOM! [1970] and GREETINGS [1968]). The masking technique used on Douglas' "documentary" works nicely. Donaggio's music has a comic touch. A highly professional job considering that it was written and produced with a student crew. Though normally considered a suspense and horror director, HOME MOVIES proves DePalma has a comic flair.