I Am Nancy (2011)

Good movie but grossly overrated

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Before I start, I just want to say that I am a die-hard 80's horror fan, so my opinion is totally biased. Nevertheless, I will try to review this as honestly as possible for those who aren't as crazy about this genre as I am. First off, I loved this documentary! Heather Langenkamp's Nancy from the Nightmare on Elm Street series is my second favorite final girl of all time. I won't get into my first favorite because this is about the documentary I Am Nancy. I loved all 120 minutes of it! Without giving too much away its mostly Heather at the convention scene discussing the character of Nancy with fans. Which, speaking as a fan myself, is pretty darn cool! As a fan, I cannot get enough of the Nightmare On Elm Street films, and those associated with making them. So when I learned of this documentary I knew I would love it before ever having seen it. I understand that to someone who isn't a huge horror fan, this documentary probably won't have the same appeal, but based on my fandom alone I had to give it 10 stars. Now, taking into account that not everyone possesses my amount of fandom, this documentary is still quite entertaining. Robert Englund AKA Freddy Krueger makes an appearance, along with Wes Craven who of course is the mastermind behind the first Nightmare On Elm Street as well as A New Nightmare (A New Nightmare being my favorite film in the franchise). The two offer up some insight into the franchise as well as their take on the character of Nancy. This documentary is also not void of humor, with a few funny moments scattered throughout. I could go into more detail, but I don't want to give too much away. Trying to put my fandom aside, I would say that it is at least deserving of a 7 star rating. So that's 10 stars if you're a huge fan like myself, and 7 stars if you're just a casual fan. Either way not a bad documentary, so if you haven't seen it I definitely recommend that you do. Yours truly, Nightmare Fan For Life

In horror films, the heroes or heroines are usually always overshadowed by the villain on a large scale. But does that mean that the villains are the only ones who are important? Why do so many people like these evil characters anyway? This is what Heather explores in her documentary!!! In this outstanding love letter to the world of fandom, Heather seeks to find where her beloved character of Nancy stands in the world of well known horror icon, Freddy Krueger! The beautiful thing about this documentary is that Heather is a fan of Nancy herself. When she takes you on this journey through the world of conventions, you feel as though you're right there with Heather, talking to these fans and listening to their stories. Heather is an extremely kind, funny, compassionate, intelligent, and welcoming person and you see so much of that in I AM NANCY. The documentary is absolutely charming. I waited two almost three months from its release so i could have my first time seeing it be on the big screen at this summer's Days of the Dead convention and I can tell you that I was NOT disappointed!I am a huge fan of Nancy and I've always felt that she deserved a lot more recognition than she first received. Nancy is who I believe to be the greatest horror heroine of all time, and she is without a doubt my favorite CHARACTER of all time. Nancy is strong, resourceful, loyal, compassionate, unwavering, and intelligent. Whats so amazing about Nancy is that she is the typical girl next door and she defeats evil without the use of any super powers. This reminds audiences that you don't have to have supernatural forces working with you to obtain greatness, all you need is your own strength and will to overcome an obstacle! When you watch this, you will see the Nancy inside a lot of fan leap out of the screen in most of these stories.I do not want to spoil it but I promise you that you will not be disappointed. This documentary is brilliant and extremely inspirational, the ending brings me to tears every time! Along with fantastic moments captured on the screen, this documentary is assisted by superb editing and direction to convey its purpose. I love this with all of my heart and it will forever be a treasure that I will pass along to as many people as possible. Hopefully it has the same effect on you. From the outer tattoos, to the very heart of adoration, Arlene and Heather will take you on the greatest tongue-in-cheek and heartwarming journey of your life. If you're not already proudly shouting "I AM NANCY" from mountain tops, you certainly will be after you watch this fantastic documentary. Live well, love much, laugh often and "BE NANCY"! :)

I have watched this documentary 8 times and I still laugh every time! If you are a true "A Nightmare on Elm Street" fan I don't know how you could not watch this film. There was so much thought put into it by Heather and Arlene (the star and director) and they really to a great job honoring the fans that were so open to share their stories.Heather is on a mission in this movie to see what Nancy (the heroine) means to fans. We all know and love Freddy, but without Nancy who would Freddy have to battle? Nancy is the strongest of the Nightmare on Elm Street leading ladies and should be honored as such. What surprised me when I first watched the film was how it was so funny, and yet it really took a look at the more serious side of the Nancy story and how the courage of Heather's character has helped other people. There are also some wonderful interviews with Wes Craven, Robert Englund, and Jessica Craven (Wes' daughter) exploring the legacy of NOES and the character of Nancy.I have become very passionate about this project and I feel like it is actually pretty hard to put into words of how amazing it actually is. The best thing I can say is it is worth watching… again and again and again! So after you leave this page go and buy your copy now. Go ahead, I'll wait!

I have been looking forward to this since seeing the preview on the Never Sleep Again DVD. I thought it looked like a great premise - Heather Langenkamp investigates the place Nancy holds in the Elm Street legacy by talking to fans at major horror conventions. However, the preview clip provided on Never Sleep Again really says it all: there is not much more to it than that, spread out over 90 minutes. Anyone that is interested in seeing this already knows why the character Nancy is so great, and that Nightmare is the greatest horror film of all time, so those folks don't really need a 90 minute documentary that reiterates those points. Anyone who doesn't concur with those notions won't be convinced by this documentary in any case. That said, there are a couple of interesting bits and pieces here: the interview with Wes Craven's daughter is intriguing, as is the discussion between Wes and Heather. However, too much of the documentary is nothing new, and the somewhat schmaltzy 'inspirational' latter third made me cringe. All in all, it is not a bad documentary, it just isn't a great one. Too often, it feels a little meandering and pointless. When it is aiming towards a point, it feels forced. A must-have for completists only. For everyone else, there is always 'Never Sleep Again'.