The Proper Care and Feeding of an American Messiah

You had some difficulty casting the film, first recruiting locally and then resorting to video auditions. Are there any casting decisions you would have re-thought if you had a higher budget, or do you feel that everything turned out for the best?

Well, at times we thought about trying to attract a quirky name actor, and we did make some attempts in that direction, but the film works better, in my opinion, with no-name actors--because you're not looking at these wacky characters and thinking about other films they've been in. I think that's part of why Napoleon Dynamite worked so well--the actors were all unknowns at the time, and even though that wasn't a mock documentary, it felt more real because we weren't thinking about the actors behind the characters.

Your co-writer David Lovic attended to Elim Bible Institute and received a Bible degree. How do you think that influenced his contribution to the film? Would you have made a film about religion if not for meeting David?

Well, I went to film school at Regent University, a school founded by Pat Robertson, and I've been a Christian all my life, so I probably would have made a film about religion anyway--but David and I have the same sensibility about religion. That is, we're both believers, but we struggle with the "public face" that represents Christianity (i.e., televangelists, etc.) We don't believe they represent us well in many cases (not ALL cases, of course), and so certainly this film arose from that discontent. Of course, we also just have goofy senses of humor and giggled and guffawed our way through writing the script.

In an interview at AFI Dallas, you said, "Instead of believing in something, [Brian] is trying to make everything about him." Do you think this is somehow inherent in religion, or a result of misinterpreting religion? Do you see similar things happening in other areas, like filmmaking or politics?

I don't think it's inherent in religion, but I do think it's a common problem in any area where someone rises to become a leader--whether in politics, filmmaking, or religion. The person who ends up being "in charge" stops focusing on the reason he got there and starts focusing on his own importance. I don't think it's limited to religion or unique to it, but it's more disturbing when it happens there because Christianity's purpose is all about showing God's love to others, being there for them, etc.

Is there something innately funny about religion? Or is it only funny when people take it too far and appear "delusional" in some way?

As a Christian, I often have to admit that what I believe SOUNDS crazy. So there is something inherently funny about it in that sense, and I think Christians need to have a sense of humor about that kind of thing. Of course, Brian's beliefs are delusional, so that's funny in a completely different way!

You've made it clear you're a believer yourself, and that the film is not meant to attack religion. Is there a specific negative component of religion that you were trying to satirize in the movie, or is it just a more general critique of the potential of religion—or any sort of strong belief—to go wrong?

I think I might have answered this in the previous response, but I'll add that we're satirizing self-importance and the tendency for some people to make religion about elevating themselves (i.e. "look at how righteous I am”--basically a modern Pharisee attitude) rather than what it should be about--spreading God's word to communicate His love for us.

Brian is convinced he's a messiah, but he's not sure exactly what that means. Have you had that experience in your own life--i.e., being or becoming something (like a college graduate, or a "real" filmmaker, or the only American/Christian/something in a room), and not being sure what that meant, or what you should do about it?

Most definitely--in every stage of life, from college graduate, to "real" filmmaker (I'm still trying to figure out if I am one of those), to "husband" and "father" and "college professor." I am all of those things, and they all sound important in some way, but I try to remain grounded and not get too self-important about any of them, because I'm probably just a pretty ordinary guy.

Brian believes in a constitutional form of government, and cites the government's support as "proof" that he's a messiah. What are your thoughts about the relationship between government and religion? Why does Brian emphasize the government's backing so much?

This seems like such a hot topic right now, doesn't it? I think when we wrote that, we had no intention of it being "about" anything. It was just a goof, and in fact Brian's conception of the government's revelation to him that he is a messiah is actually a pretty hostile one (in that they kidnapped him to use his powers, according to him). So I really didn't mean anything by that -- but I do think there's a very strained relationship between those two institutions. I think the government HAS to be open to all religious expression, but it also has to be careful that it's not seeking to make the country free FROM religion.

What motivated making Brian a "local" messiah only? Is there something to the idea that religion is local, almost individualized, or is it just funny that Brian's "powers" are limited?

It was intended as an absurdity--that there would be a whole bunch of local messiahs, like messiah "franchises." We did it for a few reasons--first, because it was completely absurd. Second, because I liked the idea that Brian had such a limited worldview that he couldn't conceive of being more powerful or impactful than that--his power is limited to his hometown, which is pretty much what his worldview is limited to. And finally, I definitely wanted to distance him, for comedic purposes, from dangerous lunatics through history who have claimed to be deities. I wanted Brian to be harmless and funny, but if he claimed to be the messiah of all mankind, I'm not sure it would be as humorous.

The film's full title is "The Proper Care and Feeding of an American Messiah." What exactly would that "care and feeding" be?

The title was intended to make the film sound like a documentary. I think the "care and feeding" aspect tends to infantilize Brian a little, indicating he's in need of care and feeding, which is why I think it works. It also puts some attention on who is responsible for that care and feeding, which is part of what the film is about.

How long have you been teaching film and screenwriting, at Baylor or elsewhere? In what ways has your teaching informed your own work and writing?

I've been teaching at Baylor for three years now, after doing educational video production and university curriculum design at Regent University (as well as writing screenplays and making my own short films in that time). I love teaching film and screenwriting--students have such passion for the material, and it keeps my level of passion for my work much higher as a result. And on a practical level, my students are a big part of the filmmaking process. We had 30+ students as crew members on this film shoot, doing everything from craft services to production design, and we couldn't have made the film without them. They were enthusiastic and energetic, and it made going to the set every day a fun experience. In fact, a student served as the film's editor, and he's going to be at the screening as well.

There you have it--religion can be funny, especially when delusional messiahs are involved. Also, you could start a messiah chain of your own, complete with messiah franchisees! And most importantly, a real live Baylor student just might show up at the screening tonight! What more do you need? Check out The Proper Care and Feeding of an American Messiah tonight at the Salvage Vanguard Theatre to see Brian and his family struggle with what it means to believe in yourself. As a messiah. Who saves people. Except Brian doesn't really save people. But he does write a blog. That's almost the same thing, right?

The Proper Care and Feeding of An American Messiah
Wednesday, June 20th
Salvage Vanguard Theater, 2803 Manor Rd
7:30pm
[More Info]

Images from American Messiah website