Audience of One (2007)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Awesome Movie

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

This is interesting, but more than interesting it's pathetic & sad. This Pastor or "Director" (I use that term as loosely as possible) is completely an utterly useless. He is sincere as can be, but my god he is such a clueless person it's embarrassing. He doesn't seem to have any clue about how to deal w/people in general. I'm not even talking about his so-called directing, I'm talking about in general. His whole delusions of Grandeur is so absurd you can't believe this guy isn't in a mental institution. The way he is making his congregation pay for his movie doesn't seem like it should be legal. How anybody listens to this guy is beyond me. There are some parts that are so funny for all the wrong reasons it makes you feel embarrassed for those involved. I can't explain enough what a completely clueless individual this Pastor is. He also seems to try and get out of everything a rational person would understand needs to be done or paid for, by saying the most cliché' line that religious people use..."It's God's Will." Give me a break! They expect to just stay in this giant warehouse for free? The city shuts off the electricity for not paying rent & it's the Devil's fault? What a joke. If you enjoy watching people making fool's of themselves then surely you'll enjoy this. Him going around saying he has $200 million in funding from Germany is a GIANT LIE! Why would anybody give this guy that sort of money? Yeah they wouldn't. I bet there is almost zero usable film either & he should pay back all of the money he blew on this to the congregation.

Bang! That's the sound of this viewer falling off the couch. I saw this on the Sundance Channel and was blown away. It isn't just the charismatic, yet loony, Brother Richard (who has been adequately explained above). But the characters surrounding him are just as compelling in their quest to set aside all reason to follow Richard's "vision". His Mother, an esteemed reverend in her own right, is supporting her son, but obviously can see the future. Her conflict moved me.This is as much about human nature as God, but, by God, what were they thinking? I couldn't look away.Amazing doc. If you are a documentary fan, this is a must see.

"I want to do something like the Titanic." - Pastor Richard Gazowsky.In the beginning, we are introduced to a passionate man, a man who has heard the word of Christ. San Francisco Pentecostal Pastor Richard Gazowsky saw his first film at age 40 (The Lion King), is instructed to assemble a film production company to create a biblical epic, one the world has never seen before. Hilarity ensues.Director Michael Jacobs does a great job of providing an objective portrayal of his subject while simultaneously recognizing and showcasing the absurd, delusional and entirely earnest attitudes actions of Gazowsky and his faithful production crew. To the people at Christian WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) Filmworks, problems with camera equipment, threats of eviction, or lack of funding can be solved with the power of prayer. Each disaster leaves you feeling like you're watching a ten car pile up on the freeway, driving by as one vehicle after the next crumbles and bursts into flame.And yet, the documentary captures their devotion and heart, which they pour into every failed attempt at production. The camera in Audience of One rarely looks down on its subjects, remaining mostly at eye level and letting us lock eyes with a cast of characters that defy description. The film never stops being funny or fascinating, but Jacobs never lets us forget these are real people led by a real, if larger than life, clergyman.

This film screened at the SXSW film festival in Austin, TX where it was very well-received by audiences and received a Special Jury Award. Audience of One may be the first "Making Of" film for an unmade film.The film captured the incredibly bizarre story Reverend Richard Gazowsky's San Francisco-based Pentecostal Church and their efforts to create a film studio and film a great Christian epic film that would be a combination of "Star Wars" and the "Ten Commandments." Audience of One brilliantly captures the inevitable train wreck that ensues as they assemble a cast and crew of mostly incompetent amateurs and attempt to create a great film. Their mistakes are laughable and absurd to any film professional.Despite persistence and dedication, they spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and are never able to come anywhere close to creating a real film. Audience of One is really a study of the meaning of fundamentalist faith and asks us where we should draw the line between reason/rationality and faith in God. Rational Modernists could view their actions as insane and irrational and wonder whether these people would actually "drink the Kool-Aid" if asked. The film is also a study of the power of charismatic leadership to make people act in ways that seem irrational to outsiders. Still, while their pursuit may seem wasteful and a little foolish it is ultimately fairly harmless compared to, for example, the Rev. Fred Phelps "God Hates Fags" ministry as portrayed in the brilliant documentary "Fall from Grace" (which also screened this year at SXSW).Audience of One is a truly enjoyable film to watch. It is both humorous and sad at the same time. While Audience of One serves as a warning about the dangers of fundamentalism, it should also offer secular viewers people a useful window into the power of religious faith to inspire believers. Perhaps the real lesson is that faith is a powerful tool and if harnessed for the right means can actually inspire believers in many ways. Here the task that people are inspired to pursue is one that is beyond their means, but that should be contrasted with the vast amount of good deeds that is accomplished by religious believers on a daily basis. I hope that people don't take from this film only the message that faith is dangerous and destructive, but rather the message that faith needs to be balanced with rationality.