Dir.
Christopher Guest, 2006, USA, 86 mins
Cast: Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Harry Shearer, Christopher
Guest, Parker Posey, Bob Balaban
Review by James Lye
Christopher Guest has turned the camera
back on to the film industry in his latest film For Your
Consideration. Following in the footsteps of classic films
about Hollywood such as The Player and Sunset Boulevard,
this film focuses on the effect of a rumoured Oscar buzz
on the set of a film.
Marilyn Hack (O'Hara) is playing the lead in Home for
Purim, a small independent film that focuses on a 1940's
Jewish family in the American South. The focus of the film
is primarily the effect that the rumour of an award has on
Marilyn and how this can change the atmosphere on a film
set. The male lead in Home for Purim is played by Victor
Allan Miller (Shearer) another journeyman actor who is affected
by the Oscar buzz, while Guest (sporting a magnificent prosthetic
belly) plays the director, Jay Berman, whose directorial
techniques are more than a little eccentric.
Using largely the same ensemble cast as in his previous films
(A Mighty Wind, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show), Guest
uses his usual, largely unscripted, style of film-making.
He and Eugene Levy work together to write a brief outline
and suggest a few jokes then allow the cast to improvise
the rest.
With a film largely in ad lib, the main enjoyment arises
from the interplay between the characters. The first section
of the film, where the characters are introduced is by far
the most entertaining; each one seems slightly more barking
than the last. Jennifer Coolidge is on absolutely top form
playing the producer of Home for Purim, Whitney Taylor Brown.
The closeness of the cast and their experience together,
is evident in the way that they play off each other.
There are also a couple of familiar additions, notably Ricky
Gervais and Sandra Oh. Gervais has named Guest often as one
of his comedy inspirations and does seem to be working hard
to impress his idol, although his efforts pale in comparison
to the rest of the cast and he seems out of his depth, notably
in scenes with Coolidge.
The cast clearly enjoyed making this film and that comes
across when watching it. They often seem to be competing
for the most over-the-top character. The only criticism
is that this film could have been more than just a comedy,
but doesn't quite fulfil its full potential. Unlike his
previous films, Guest has departed from the mockumentary
style slightly and uses conventional camera angles and
techniques, but the narrative isn't powerful enough to
support this. At the end of the film, you're left unsatisfied wanting
to know more about the characters' backgrounds, motivation
and potential future, but all you're given are snapshots
of caricatures.
However, Guest is a highly original director and actor and
while this film isn't up to his previous standard of A Mighty
Wind, it's still worth a watch. |
