American Boy

Plot

Martin Scorsese's American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince is both a documentary and a tragicomedy, in which the personal experiences of one twentysomething Jewish gay man are rendered universal. Surrounded by friends in a cozy living room, the sensitive and humorous Prince (Taxi Driver's gun salesman, Handy Andy) recounts his personal history, from his run-in with a gorilla, to his relationship with his parents, his childhood bagel delivery business, his coming out, his addiction to drugs, his job as Neil Diamond's road manager, and his father's falling ill. One of Prince's most exciting tales, an account of his reviving a friend's overdosing girlfriend by injecting stimulant into her heart, was re-created almost to a tee by director Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction. As wild and theatrical as the young man's accounts are, Scorsese intersperses them with childhood pictures of Prince that could be of any American, quickly reminding the entire audience of their common humanity. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

Review

American Boy's Steven Prince -- a homosexual, sometimes addict, and often overall average American -- is a natural born performer. The stories that he skillfully and eagerly tells the camera are the tales that have amused his friends for years. They are well paced, exhilarating, and more captivating than even their fictional counterparts (compare Prince's animated account of saving a girl from an overdose to its re-creation in Pulp Fiction). He delivers his high points and his low points with such zeal that they seer themselves onto the brain, such as his grandmother's comic stubbornness and his own personal nadir while on the road with Neil Diamond. Prince's talent and passion never overshadow the pain behind them or his brave willingness to bare his dysfunctional soul. They simply draw us into the film, tricking us into learning more about Prince and, by extension, our modern selves. Director Martin Scorsese has unfortunately made only a handful of documentaries, but with American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince, he proves that he knows precisely how to pick and use a non-fiction subject. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

Cast

George Memmoli - Himself; Steven Prince - Himself; Martin Scorsese - Himself

Credit

Martin Scorsese - Director, Paul Kimatian - Still Photographer

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