The American Meme
The American Meme | |
---|---|
Cinematography | Will Dearborn Abraham Martinez |
Edited by | Tchavdar Georgiev Monique Zavistovski |
Music by | Tyler Strickland |
Production company | Bert Marcus Productions |
Distributed by | Netflix |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
The American Meme is a 2018 American documentary film that explores the lifestyle and trajectory of four social media influencers. The film was directed, produced and written by Bert Marcus,[1] and follows Paris Hilton, Emily Ratajkowski, DJ Khaled and Josh Ostrovsky as they work to create commercial brands out of their online presence.
The American Meme premiered at the 2018
Plot
The American Meme explores the online footprint and behind the scenes stories of four social media celebrities who have each utilised online platforms to gain followers and become ‘influencers’ in the digital age.
The documentary film raises the idea of modern alienation under capitalism[6] and explores various diverse material on the likes of Paris Hilton, Josh Ostrovsky, Brittany Furlan and Kirill Bichutsky’s rise to fame,[7] strategies to maintain influence in social media spaces and difficulties in maintaining this influence and the use of social media as a source of income.[8]
Cast
Production
The American Meme was directed by Bert Marcus. Bert Marcus is the founder of the production studio Bert Marcus Productions and has directed three films. The two other films are What We Started (2017) and Champs (2014).[9][10]
He has been a producer on nine films in total, which include Human Capital (2019) and How to Make Money Selling Drugs (2012).
Critical reception
On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the documentary has an approval rating of 94% and an average score of 6.8/10 based on 31 critics.[11] The site's critical consensus reads, "The American Meme dives into the shallow end of modern celebrity, emerging with a series of fascinating – and surprisingly deep – observations."[11] Metacritic rated it 60 points out of 100 based on seven reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews".[12]
In a review of the film in The New Yorker, Naomi Fry writes, "But what is fascinating, and valuable, about The American Meme is its ability to reveal the desperation, loneliness, and sheer Sisyphean tedium of ceaselessly chasing what will most likely end up being an ever-diminishing share of the online-attention economy."[17] The film was described by The Irish Times as "a fascinating look into the curious appeal and lives of social media superstars and reality celebrities."[18]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to The American Meme features a number of songs by artists including Britney Spears, Eminem and Ariana Grande.
Composer and songwriter Tyler Strickland is credited with selecting the pieces of music for the soundtrack in the documentary,[21] as listed below.
No. | Title | Artist(s) |
---|---|---|
1. | Woman Up | Meghan Trainor |
2. | Problem | Ariana Grande ft. Iggy Azalea |
3. | I Would Never Say You’re Fat | Cliff Martinez |
4. | Moment of Truth | Gang Starr |
5. | Money Maker Instrumental | APM Music |
6. | Lovefool | The Cardigans |
7. | Toxic | Britney Spears |
8. | Bang Bang | Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj |
9. | Sunny Afternoon | The Standells |
10. | Turn You On | Paris Hilton |
11. | Don't Kill My Vibe | Sigrid |
12. | You're a Grand Old Flag | George M. Cohan, United States Marine Band |
13. | NSFW | Cheat Codes, Danny Quest |
14. | Work Bitch | Britney Spears |
15. | Shake That” | Eminem |
16. | “Summertime Fling C” | APM Music |
17. | “Hold On” | Jared Lee |
18. | We are Your Friends | Simian |
19. | Ms. Hilton | The Penfifteen Club |
20. | Carbon Prevails | Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross |
21. | It Catches Up with You | Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross |
22. | Not Leaving This Circus | Cliff Martinez |
23. | Jungle Drums Boileth Over | APM Music |
24. | Pretty Silver Stiches | Cliff Martinez |
25. | Come on Feel It | George Stephenson, Bradford Ellis |
26. | Daydream | Youth Lagoon |
27. | Jaguar | What So Not |
References
- ^ "THE AMERICAN MEME | Bert Marcus Productions". bertmarcusproductions.com. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ "Special Screenings: World Premier THE AMERICAN MEME". Tribeca Film. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ "Netflix Picks Up Doc 'The American Meme' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. October 18, 2018.
- ^ Galuppo, M (October 18, 2018). "Netflix Picks Up Doc 'The American Meme' (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Reed, Ryan (December 7, 2018). "'The American Meme': DJ Khaled, Paris Hilton Ponder Social Media Fame in New Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ Turner, K (December 18, 2018). "'The American Meme' Review: For Influencers, Social Media Is Only Skin Deep". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ C, Christie (March 6, 2019). "The producer behind 'The American Meme' unpacks modern celebrity". Above the Fold. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Fry, N (December 7, 2018). ""The American Meme," A new Netflix documentary records the angst of social media influencers". New Yorker. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
- ^ Barker, Andrew (March 24, 2018). "Film Review: 'What We Started'". Variety. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ "Champs | 2014 Tribeca Film Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
- ^ a b "The American Meme (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "The American Meme". Metacritic. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Rothkopf, J (April 10, 2018). "The 10 best movies to watch at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival". Retrieved April 24, 2020.
- ^ "The 10 best movies at Tribeca Film Festival 2018". Time Out New York. April 10, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
- ^ Gleiberman, Owen (May 2, 2018). "Film Review: 'The American Meme'". Variety. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- Vulture.com. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Fry, Naomi (December 7, 2018). "'The American Meme,' a New Netflix Documentary, Records the Angst of Social-Media Influencers". The New Yorker.
- ^ "Netflix: the 10 best new films and shows in December". The Irish Times. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
- ^ "Paris Hilton Tears Up About Sex Tape: 'It Was Like Being Raped. It Felt Like I've Lost Part of My Soul'". Decider. December 7, 2018. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ "5 ways Netflix's 'The American Meme' will change the way you think about Paris Hilton". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
- ^ "Tyler Strickland". IMDb. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
External links
- The American Meme at IMDb
- Official trailer