American Boy (1978)

Review by All Movie Guide
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, All Movie Guide