I'm not quite sure if My Movie Starring Paul Dano is to be considered writer/director Joe Bartone's most successful movie to date, but there's no denying this uniquely satisfying motion picture is certainly one of his most memorable. 

The film stars Turen Robinson as Herman, an ambitious filmmaker increasingly embittered at the state of his indie filmmaking career. When a certain A-lister, I'll bet you can guess who it is, comes to him in a dream, Herman becomes convinced that it's his destiny to make his feature film Bear Naked Amazonians from Mars (to be completely honest, I would totally watch this film). Part of this dreamlike revelation is that if Herman makes the deadline, he's convinced the film will be South by Southwest's Best Feature and Herman will finally snag his long-awaited fame. 

As a longtime film journalist with a focus on the indie world, I'll openly acknowledge I've seen films like My Movie Starring Paul Dano before. It's Bartone's unique vibe and his tremendously fun ensemble working together that really helps make this an often hilarious and surprisingly sincere comedy. 

My Movie Starring Paul Dano nicely captures all the quirks and foibles of making a low-budget, no-budget indie "masterpiece" from the impossibilities of fundraising to the unpredictability of casting and all the way over to what it means to make a film on considerably less than Spielberg's toilet paper budget. 

Bartone has quite the gem in Turen Robinson as Herman, an inspired tapestry of irreverence, aw shuckness, and almost absurd belief that makes you want to believe as well. While Robinson leads us, this ensemble is quite a bit of fun with memorable turns made by Julie Hapney as Tanya Bukowski, Holly Rockwell as Molly, Birdie as Sigrid, and others. 

To be sure, My Movie Starring Paul Dano isn't going to be a film for everyone, though I got into its rhythm rather quickly and enjoyed my time with these characters. An added bonus is Bartone's use of absolutely delightful animation throughout, an approach that could have felt like a gimmick but never does. 

There's just an awful lot to enjoy here. I have a feeling those in the indie world, in particular, will recognize an awful lot here and laugh along the way. While My Movie Starring Paul Dano isn't a perfect film, it sure is a perfectly entertaining film. 

Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic