American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself (2020 TV Movie) User Reviews

Really, Trump is not in it as much as I thought

[dcmackdon · 6/10 · 29 October 2020]

To be honest, this is a doc by Alexandra Pelosi (yes, Nancy Pelosi's daughter) and I have seen her docs before, and they not that bad or one-sided, most of the time. She really does start by showing the real divide of people and how the majority of them who are comfortable living in their own personal bubble opposed to the ones who protest their political views. She then dives into the issue of Trump's rhetoric, which, yes, it is divisive but the emotional reactions towards it fuel more divisiveness as well. I like that she showed Trump supporters chanting with their signs and then when the anti-Trumpers showed up they were the ones who got aggravated and physical. She actually touched on immigration, consumerism, classism issues and racial issues, and guess what, 45 to 50 mins of this doc is NOT about Trump. She just talking and asking people questions, at the 46 min mark, she was actually talking to a well known black millitant and I don't think she knew it (he doesn't like democrats). She really does show the divided country that has always been there BEFORE Trump. Also I liked she talked to people who didn't take COVID-19 seriously and didn't think much of it in the beginning, again it wasn't about Trump. THEN Trump (somewhat) comes back into the picture at the 1 hr mark, mainly because of his supporters calling COVID as the common flu and protest lockdowns. She shows the effects of the pandemic. Again showing the divide of the people and their individual beliefs, and how they are misinformed of each other. Then there were the protests, enough said. At 1hr 8min mark, now Trump supporters enter the picture versus BLM protesters. She then goes back to the effects of the pandemic and how people feel in general about it all. Ends with people against people. I did not have a much emotional reaction to none of it, cause am black, people crying, fearing for their life is nothing to me, i feel it everyday and 8 presidents have done and will do nothing about it. Changes must be locally, wish more people knew that. All in all, this doc was OK.

Showing a nation deeply, deeply divided

[paul-allaer · 8/10 · 24 October 2020]

"American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself" (2020 release; 91 min.) is a documentary about the state of the country. As the movie opens, people are taking selfies in Chicago. "I like pictures of myself", comments one guy. We then start on a 12 month journey around this country, starting in "September 2019" in what now feels like a different era: people lining up in New York to buy the newest iPhone. "Do I need it? I want it!" comments someone. As it happens, it it the very same day of a climate march in NYC. "October 2019" brings us to a Trump MAGA rally in Minneapolis, where things get very ugly very fast, coming on the heels of Trump's mysogynistic, racist and xenophobic comments about US Congresswoman Ihlan Omar (last I checked, an American citizen just like you and me). At this point we are 10 min. into the movie.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from longtime documentarian Alexandra Pelosi (yes, daughter of). In this film, she takes to the road and documents the state of the union over the course of 12 months. It ain't a pretty picture: when you mix Trump's unrelenting divisive and racist attacks and outright lies about anything and everything with a pandemic the likes we haven't seen in over a century, it proves to be a punch to the gut. Watch the scene in "November 2019" when the film maker interviews people at the Walmart in El Paso, TX which just months before was the scene of a deadly mass shooting by a crazed guy wanting to stop an "invasion" of migrants (Trump's words). Watch the scenes in "May 2020" where New York funeral homes are overrun by COVID-19 deaths. It just breaks your heart. This movie is not easy to watch, as it so accurately reflects/exposes the difficult times this nation is going through in 2020. The release of this film couldn't be timed any better, literally a day after the last presidential debate where Trump declares with a straight face that "I am the least racist person in this room". Yea, he really said that, along with dozens of other fabrications and outright lies.

"American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself" premiered on Showtime this weekend, and is now available on SHO On Demand and other streaming services. If you want to be reminded of what is at stake in the current (yes, current: tens of millions of ballots have been cast already) presidential election, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Need help understanding America? WATCH THIS!

[American8 · 19 November 2020]

It seems that other reviewers are only interested in attacking the director's last name! You should watch the film BEFORE passing judgment. This documentary clearly shows where we are as a country right now. I strongly recommend it to everyone who cares about the future of America.

Pelosi comes off as nothing more than a wealthy, far-left liberal with a camcorder

[Sean_Biggins · 1/10 · 14 November 2021]

She clearly had no idea where she was going with this doc. Perhaps it did start off about 'selfies'? Who knows, but it just quickly spirals out of control into a bunch of garbage about the inequality between the good 'ol privileged white-skinned people and 'all the rest'. Judging from this little romp, I think Pelosi probably suffers from tremendous white guilt and that venturing off into the 'streets' is her way of trying to alleviate her guilt by mingling with the commoners, and at one point, she very carelessly shows her true colors when she runs into a homeless white-skinned, drug-addicted man in Las Vegas and quips "Why are you taking drugs? You're a WHITE MAN... the world is set up for you". That is of course one of the most offensive things a person could possibly say to a homeless white man, as though being born a white male is like some kind of meal ticket to a wonderful life! But it just shows how incredibly out of touch she is with reality that she could even think such a thing. She sounds like some kind of pampered house cat that's never even been out in the real world and clearly doesn't have a CLUE what things are like for many white-skinned people, and that massive mistake is now frozen in time for all to see, smack-dab in the middle of this lackluster video, so she's completely sealed her own fate.

I really thought this was going to be about 'selfies', which really would have made an interesting documentary given their suspicious proliferation the world over, but instead, it really just comes off as looking like something shot by a naive teenage girl who took a film course at a local community college.

Everyone lives in their own insignificant bubble

[sevsevencom · 8/10 · 4 October 2022]

Unfortunately, the "Health Effects" of the virus were only shown shortly through the eyes of employees of a jam packed dead bodies at funeral home. This documentary should have spent more than few minutes talking to healthcare professionals that were bombarded by death and extra work and sickness.. But not 1 minute included this side of things.. healthcare employees had the whole virus shoved in their face and they are the ones that truly had to deal with it, work hard, and know the most about it's consequences.. But l watch many documentaries and film still showed a lot of different angles and was a good watch, Showing how every person lives in their own little insignificant bubbl, and are completely oblivious to what else is happening elsewhere in their cities, countries, and the planet.

propaganda in a nutshell

[levidemorney · 1/10 · 23 October 2020]

Don't bother, movie done by the daughter of a fall politician tells you everything you need to know.

Nancy Pelosi's daughter makes a Democratic advertisement

[trimblair · 1/10 · 7 November 2020]

Nancy Pelosi has a daughter who. during an election year, releases a movie about the race divide in America. If you read the reviews they agree that it is the view of a liberal, blaming Trump. Weird how BLM was quiet until a month before primaries this year when George Floyd, an 8 time felon was arrested committing another felony while on probation from a violent felony. He died while fighting cops and refusing to get in cop car, high on fentanyl and meth and too drunk to stand. Autopsy shows he died of a stroke. The media made him a saint and rallying call for America playing the story 24/7 for most of 2020. Staged BLM/ANTIFA riots across the USA (with Democrats bailing out those arrested) were blamed on Trump?! Historical Status that have stood for 300 years (through Obama's presidency) were defaced and torn down to include Lincoln, Grant and Lee (who was vocal against slavery). Democratic cities on fire still today, after the election, but blame Trump?! Insanity of the left in full display here. Silly commercial for Biden. Didn't she well.

Civil violence decreasing in US in 10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 year metrics and this film implies it is getting worse.

[random-70778 · 29 October 2020]

If anyone doubts that this is based on Harvard scientism Steven Pinker extensive and peer reviewed work on the subject. Violence and social division in the US are DECREASING. The sector that is increasing in violnmce perpetration is left wing organized groups. Ironically this film shows it using as its prime example some rally in Minneapolis, where the right wing engaged in no serious violence, but left wing hate groups such as BLM and Antifa conducted organized incitements to social violence resulting in scores of deaths, hundred of serious assaults' and no les than 5,700 actions fo arson, looting or destructive vandalism. As far as Ihlan Oman, she an inveterate racist and anti-Semite herself, and since when does being foreign born exempt one from criticism? She can't be called out for her open support of several totalitarian dictators, here hatred of small business, and her support of marxist systems that resulted in the deaths and murder of over 50 million people this century because she holds two passports and therefore to call out her nonsense is xenophobic by defintion? No.