The Amateurs

Andy Sargentee is divorced, short of money and drifting between jobs in a small American town where everyone knows everyone else. His ex-wife has remarried a wealthy man and taken their teenage son with her, and Andy wants the boy to look at him with something other than pity. Reflecting on how much of what is sold to the public comes down to sex, he settles on a scheme he believes can restore his standing and make him rich: shooting an adult film locally, with his friends and neighbours in front of the camera. The production quickly becomes a communal undertaking, with an amateur crew taking on directing, writing and every other task, and it soon becomes clear that the participants have taken on far more than they can manage.

Michael Traeger wrote and directed this 2006 comedy, which was produced by Aaron Ryder. Jeff Bridges heads the cast as Andy, with Tim Blake Nelson, Joe Pantoliano, Ted Danson, William Fichtner and Patrick Fugit among the principal players; thirty-four performers are credited in all. The film runs 96 minutes and was made as a co-production between Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States.

On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.2 from roughly 6,800 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 5.6 from around 108 votes. The larger IMDb sample points to modest but real viewer interest, and to a reception that is warmer than lukewarm without being enthusiastic.