Living in Oblivion (1995) User Reviews

Independent Film!

[gavin6942 · 8/10 · 14 September 2015]

Film about filmmaking. It takes place during one day on set of non-budget movie. Ultimate tribute to all independent filmmakers.

It should come as no surprise that the director of this film learned the trade under the wing of Jim Jarmusch. The film has a very Jarmusch quality to it, and if it had his name on it I would not have been surprised. Especially the black and white scenes. We also get some great guest stars -- Steve Buscemi, obviously, but also Catherine Keener and Peter Dinklage.

Not everyone will like this movie. It is a movie for those who make movies, and for those who love the making of movies. Especially independent films with little or no budget.

A great hidden documentary of a film

[caspian1978 · 7/10 · 1 July 2002]

For all of us who have worked on a film production before, watching Living in Oblivion is an honor and an enjoyment. For once you have experienced what it is like to work in that kind of atmosphere with that group of people, you accept it even more. A story about a director making a movie, Living in Oblivion holds many true tidbits and crazy moments that occur regularly on a film shoot. The relationship between the director and the D of P, the treatment of the actors between the other actors and the crew, and most importantly, how a director holds himself with one member of the production with another. Altogether, you got an amazing film that tells it like it is. A pure, a true enjoyment.

The best movie by a human being ... ever!

[begob · 8/10 · 17 August 2017]

A movie director and his leading lady feel the pressure as their shoot teeters on the edge of disaster ...

Witty and big-hearted satire of the process of making an independent movie. This comes in three parts, each act dealing with a particular scene and bringing a change of emphasis. The story is almost perfectly self-contained, with unity of action, place and time, and the writing and editing keeps it clipping along at a good pace. The writer/director uses the full potential of his set up by bringing in a host of characters and a range of technical aspects of the shoot, and yet wraps it up nicely through the romantic concerns of his creations.

Performances are good all round, and some real insights are delivered - the objection to dwarfs in dream sequences, the most self-obsessed person in the room coming up with the best idea (the blocking for the "admired from afar" scene). It's not a laugh a minute, but there are plenty of good moments.

The only time I noticed the music was when the director was giving a pep talk to one of the actors. Maybe there could have been more jokes on that "score" - or maybe I missed them.

Overall: Not a classic, but thoroughly enjoyable.

Just great

[preppy-3 · 10/10 · 17 December 2001]

Funny, absorbing and smart movie about a no-budget film and the people trying to make it. The movie plays around with reality and dreams without getting too obscure or serious. It's well-done, well-acted (one of those rare movies where the entire cast is great), very funny and very smart. Naturally, this bombed...it was TOO intelligent for mainstream audiences and how do you market a film like this. But it plays on IFC all the time and it's basically one of the best films of its year and one of the best on the art of films and filmmaking. If you even slightly like movies, you have to see this. Don't miss it!

What a dream of a movie

[exit127 · 13 January 2001]

This is one of my favorite movies and it aggravates me that it's the kind of movie that always seems to slip through the cracks. In other words, nobody watched it. It's hilariously funny and yet the public in general don't either get it or find it funny. I not only laughed a lot but found the acting to be excellent. Buscemi's performance of a Indi' film director going through the rigors of dealing with inept film crew, egotistical actor's, in-crew relationships and not to mention a certain dwarf with a major chip on his shoulder. If you are a film buff and know a little more than most about movie's rent it. 10 out of 9

Film maker's delight

[mootosk · 10/10 · 22 August 2004]

This film captures the true essence of the stresses involved on a film set. The story is about the characters involved in the process rather than the film-within-a-film. While the film is funny it is so close to the bone that I was initially surprised to see it appear in the comedy section.

Steve Buscemi is right at home in this film, his influence rubs off on the support actors, and his stress is convincing. This film makes you squirm but laugh - unlike conventional comedies - in this film you identify and live with the actors.

The screenplay timing is superb and taunts the audience to an almost stressful level. Offset this with lots of comedy and you're left with a powerful mix. You are almost relieved when it is over... but you are left with great memories of a strange but enjoyable film.

Absolutely the highest possible recommendation, especially if you can relate to film making, acting or directing.

Nice comedy about Indie movie-making

[faraaj-1 · 7/10 · 8 November 2006]

Living in Oblivion is an indie movie about one day in the life the kaking of an indie movie called Living in Oblivion. We see that day in the form of dream sequences from the point of view of the lead actress and the director. Overall, this is a low budget film that is well written and has a good cast of talented but less famous actors. Indie favorite Steve Buscemi is the director of the movie and is his usual quirky self. Real-life husband and wife Dermot Mulroney and Catherine Keener - both very good actors - appear in the best performance I have seen either of them in. Keener in particular has a tough role repeating the same scene over and over again and giving it tiny nuances and changes. Mulroney looks right out of a 50's pirate movie with his eye patch and funny clothes. The actor who played Chad Palomino - the movie's star - was quite irritating. I wonder if that was completely intentional or the director chose to cast an irritating actor. The overall tone of the film is light and upbeat despite small irritations destroying what should be a very easy scene to film. Not boring at all, Living in Oblivion is a fast paced 90 minute movie.

One of the most entertaining films about film-making ever made

[Quinoa1984 · 10/10 · 5 October 2005]

Steve Buscemi may or may not have been the first choice by writer/director Tom DiCillo for the lead role of Nick, the director behind the three (err, one) film(s) being made within the film Living in Oblivion, but it works so well it's impossible to see anyone else in the role. Buscemi, who is one of the prime character actors of the past fifteen years, has that range of being grounded, of being out of control, of being funny, and of being sincere even in the strangest circumstances. His character, as the quintessential indie film director of the film, tries to keep some control on what goes on, but as is seen, things don't go quite as planned.

Living in Oblivion is one of those little delights for a film buff to see, or perhaps of a particular film buff. On a personal level I connect with some of this as I was a production assistant on indie films that were not far off from this. DiCillo, whether or not you've been in situations like this (which most of us haven't) brilliantly captures the coldness on a set, the uncomfortableness, the technical difficulties, and just the plain old emotional toll that goes on with the film-making process (notably, when it's under a million dollars being made). That it's a comedy of errors helps a lot, and that you never really know which way the story will turn at times. The film is split up in three acts, the first (for me) being the strongest and most affecting, as Nick tries to direct Catherine Keener's Nicole Springer in a heartfelt talk with her mother. Multiple takes bring on more woes, until Nick finally snaps (one of the funniest scenes perhaps in any film from the 90's). The other two segments come closer to being as great, one being a slick scene involving a buff man and Nicole, and the other being a very strange dream that has some kinks to work out.

I've seen this film now several times, and the first time my enjoyment was more in the surface comedy of it all, and of course the performances. But with each passing view I get more and more what film-making, and what makes 'indie films' or just films in general, so appealing- there's drama, but there has to be some humor to get in the seams; there's romance, but not always in the ways you'd expect; when it's realer, more power to it. The ending also, while maybe the weaker part of the film, is still charming, and gives an idea as to what pleasures can come from such chaos on the set. I love it.

Filming in Oblivion

[sol- · 7/10 · 31 March 2017]

One thing after another goes wrong on the set of a low budget movie in this film about filmmaking starring Steve Buscemi as the frustrated director at the heart of the tale. From the premise alone, 'Living in Oblivion' might sound like a rather straightforward comedy, but it is actually far from it with a narrative full of twists and turns and some effective cinematic touches, such as all the 'reality' scenes appearing in black and white with only the film-within in colour during the first section of the movie. Writer-director Tom DiCillo's script is hardly airtight with some aspects of the film not really making sense in light of the twists, but in general the twists work very well to further the film's ultimate portrait of how difficult it is to film one particular type of sequence in a credible manner. Also impressive is the attention given to the thoughts and feelings of almost all of the cast and crew characters, each of whom have their own ideas of how to improve the movie they are working on, with Buscemi madly juggling every opinion in a somewhat futile attempt to keep everyone working and happy. James Le Gros tends to get a lot of praise here for his portrait of the comically super-arrogant leading man in Buscemi's film, however, Catherine Keener is just as effective in an early career turn; same goes for Peter Dinklage and his annoyance over being stereotyped.

I've been there.

[lostonthehighway · 9/10 · 29 July 2021]

I'm also an independent director. Yes, I've made movies. And if you don't know what it's like, then this movie will tell you.

This movie was shown to me on the first day of film school. I don't know if they were being ironic or simply warning us for what would come in the next two weeks, but as a director who would then go on and direct my own film over those two weeks, this movie is painfully accurate and very hilarious.

When I first went into this movie, I thought it was some sentimental thing about the art of making a movie and the spiritual journey your soul goes on or whatever. But it's not. Again, this movie speaks to me, and is just so funny, just because of the way that it's relatable. I would definitely recommend all aspiring filmmakers to see this one, partially because it is demonstrative of the often-hilarious Murphy's Law-esque antics that happen on film sets.

You know a film is good when you have a theatre full of film students laughing their heads off every ten seconds. And that was exactly what was happening. This was actually the first movie I saw back in the theatre after an almost-2-year-long pandemic-related hiatus, and it really was genuinely a great film to see on the big screen.

The movie has a really unmistakable style, with a lot of clever colour-to-black-and-white switches to signify the difference between the film world and the real world which I really enjoyed. On top of all of that, everyone delivered excellent performances which elevated the comedy of it all even further.

One of the best comedies out there, and a must-see for indie filmmakers. Thank you MFI '21!

-Sasha.

Enjoyable But Repetitive

[arated-96629 · 6/10 · 10 November 2022]

As a film student I found this film to be very funny. But as a reviewer I find it hard to recommend this film if you arnt in the know how about low budget film making.

A lot of the jokes are in jokes around the industry and may fly over the heads of an audience that don't understand the job of every character on set.

As a film I didn't find it to be the most engaging. It feels more like a feature length sketch comedy. This isn't to say there was nothing to enjoy. It just felt a bit shallow.

Nothing too notable about cinematography, sharp snappy dialogue and a lot of fun scenes that are very funny. But overall left me wanting more.

Funny and interesting, if convoluted, movie-about-movie.

[EThompsonUMD · 8/10 · 25 September 1999]

Living in Oblivion is an unusual, funny, and interesting example of the movie-about-movies genre, focusing on the low budget, independent movie making scene. The lead performances by Steve Buscemi and Catherine Keener are first-rate, and the supporting cast is excellent as well. The film veers from satire to realism to surrealism in depicting the problems and tensions involved in off-off-Hollywood filmmaking. One problem with its structure, though, is the repeated "dream trick." Its first use creates shock and interest, but its second use creates a serious distraction in the third act since the viewer keeps wondering whose dream he or she may be in this time. Overall, an enjoyable film - highly recommended to indie film buffs.

Living In Oblivion

[mojojobob · 7/10 · 4 April 2006]

How would you classify Tom DiCillo's film Living in Oblivion, metafilm? The narrative of a film within a film dissects the difficulties experienced during the process of creating an independent motion picture, set with a focus upon cinema's dichotomy between the director as the creative author and film being a collective effort spilt between many hands. While the narrative's structure (conflict/climax/resolution) is paced and moved by the soap opera-esquire exchanges amongst the cast and crew of the project, it is still unsure if DiCillo believes that cinema's nature is either of the aforementioned, but rather a synergy of the two. He makes arguments for both cases, showing how the multi-faceted approach to film-making can slow/change the intended vision and that the director can also not understand how to portray his own vision. As a conclusion Dicillo posits the idea that the ends, more or less, justifies the means. That a film can be made in many different ways, in many different hands and the same juvenile disputes, short comings, technical problems will be met along the way. This is not to suggest that these means are not important, Dicillo's makes them the entire plot of Living in Oblivion, but he rather he wants to give a window for an audience to view (while dramatized) into the world of film production. While this is a seemingly contradictory statement, Living in Oblivion is a contradictory movie, and DiCillo leaves the audience with the feeling that a film has been made and the future of that film will in no way reflect the journey the cast/crew took to get it there.

It helps if you're making films

[Jim-229 · 5/10 · 31 January 1999]

Not nearly as funny as I'd expected, LIVING IN OBLIVION seems too geared towards people who are actually involved in making independent films. If you've had trouble with props, or had to deal with pretentious hacks, this might be hilarious; for the rest of us, it takes far too long to get going. You don't need to be in a band to love THIS IS SPINAL TAP, or be involved with theatre to like WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. But LIVING IN OBLIVION feels more like an in-joke than a hilarious comedy.

A smart, biting sleeper

[sparklecat · 9 July 2003]

"Living in Oblivion" is one of your video store's coolest secrets. Writer-director Tom Dicillo takes a satiric look at independent films while capturing the ups and downs of making a movie. For the cast and crew of the film within this film, the downs hilariously outnumber the ups.

Steve Buscemi shines in an all-too-rare lead role as the frustrated director. There's also great work by James LeGros as the pompous leading man, Catherine Keener as the insecure leading lady, and Dermot Mulroney as the broken-hearted cinematographer.

Dicillo is especially concerned with the nightmares and daydreams of his characters, and rightly adopts a dreamy visual style that shifts between black and white and color.

It all adds up to an uncommonly intelligent, artistic, and funny(!) comedy that deserves your attention.

A MUST for film school students!

[faincut · 9/10 · 24 May 2005]

The Sundance film festival award winning comedy film depicts the process of making an independent/student film quite cleverly. Yet another "A movie about making a movie" sub-genre, written and directed by Tom DiCillo, I believe it his best film yet.

Sliced into three parts, the movie features the difficulties of film-making through the character's dreams. Yet, what is dream and what is real, you don't realize till they wake up.

Buscemi plays Nick Reve (Reve in french means Dream), the frustrated "trying to get it right" director, and you know by Murphy's Law that when he shouts "ACTION!" something will go wrong. It is amusing yet almost annoying as we get to be frustrated with Buscemi's character, and after that, it appears that it was just a dream.

The character of the arrogant actor Chad Palamino played by James LeGros, resembles Brat Pitt in appearance. It is said that Pitt was cast for this role, and since he was busy with another project, LeGros was chosen. Some say that Palamino's character might be Tom DiCillo's way of portraying Pitt's behavior on the set of his debut film "Johnny Suede" in 1991. Dicillo denies it.

The pearls of this film:

* The scene where Palamino shouts "The only reason I took this part was because someone said you were tight with Quentin Tarantino!", which is a role model for success in the indie film industry since Tarantino is the recent indie filmmaker that became a star director.

* The transition from monochrome to color and vice-versa as a difference between reality and film reality, a lovely gimmick.

* The 30 second "Room Tone" scene, where everybody is fantasizing about their life dream.

This film is a treat for filmmakers and in general a "fun" film. People who are not filmmakers will enjoy this film as well. The film is only 91 minutes and I wanted more. I give this movie 10/10 and just because it is so underrated in the majority of movie rating websites.

"Have you ever had a dream with a dwarf in it?

[Galina_movie_fan · 9/10 · 8 October 2007]

"Living in Oblivion" (1995) - is a 91 minutes long low-budget independent movie about trials and tribulations during making a low budget independent movie called.. "Living in Oblivion". Writer-director Tom DiCillo made in 1991 a film called "Johnny Suede" starring a young and unknown at the time actor named Brad Pitt. "Johnny Suede" was a failure with both critics and viewers but an artist can learn from any experience however disappointing or devastating it is. DiCillo wrote a short story from his frustration and turned his experience into a smart, funny, playful, and highly enjoyable second feature "Living in Oblivion" that takes place during one day of shooting a low budget film. Photographed with the color-to-black-and-white transitions, "Living in Oblivions" has surreal, strangely poetic and amusing quality to it.

The cast is solid and consists of DiCillo's friends who are the regulars in his films. Steve Buscemi, the king of independent movies, in the rare starring role, plays Nick Reve, a long-haired, dedicated but frustrated director who in the moments of creative inspiration has to get back to earth and to deal with the tensions between his leading lady (Catherine Keener, before her star-making turn in "Being John Malkovich" but already a wonderfully talented beautiful and sexy actress) with whom he is silently in love and the male star, arrogant egotist Chad Palomino (James LeGros does an un-flattering but hilarious and quite accurate impersonation of the real life model for Chad). If these problems are not enough, there is eye-patch wearing sensitive leather-clad cameraman named Wolf (Dermot Mulroney) who went through a painful break-up right on the set. There is a great scene with an irritated dwarf Tito (Peter Dinklage) who was hired for a dream sequence and who hates dreams with the dwarfs in them: "Have you ever had a dream with a dwarf in it? Do you know anyone who's had a dream with a dwarf in it? No! I don't even have dreams with dwarfs in them. The only place I've seen dwarfs in dreams is in stupid movies like this!" There is also a smoke machine that explodes every time when turned on...And to top it all, Nick's senile mother surprisingly shows up during the shot and eventually saves the dream sequence and the movie. That's what the mothers are for, aren't they?

Original, Creative, Raw, Funny

[rochelle-rochelle · 7/10 · 24 March 2006]

If you are looking for an inside look into how low-budget independent films are made, see this movie. It's a comedy and all in black and white (except the movie-in-the-movie scenes - they are in color). This is where I really saw and noticed Catherine Keener and how talented and amazing she is. I have been a huge fan of hers ever since.

This movie is funny, light hearted, creative and thoroughly entertaining. Steve Buscemi is the star and he plays a director trying to shoot a low-budget film and what's funny is the day-to-day stuff and the happenings on and off the set.

One character in the film is a big Hollywood celebrity type that had stupid and insane "needs" to be met on the set and tries to improvise and change the scenes because he thinks he knows more than the director, writer and other talent there. People say it was based on Brad Pitt, but the director/writer disagrees and dispells that myth. It's funny, nonetheless, because as the audience, we don't see what these A-list celebs ask for off-camera to make their "experience" worthwhile. I never even thought about it until seeing this film. Now I wonder when I see an A-list star in a low-budget or independent film if they have crazy and insane requests or if they try to change the film while taping, etc.

Film is thoroughly enjoyable, great escapism and very funny. Highly recommend. You'll have a new appreciation for independent and low-budget films.

For filmmakers who love and hate the craft.

[jcooloti · 9/10 · 25 June 2021]

If you work in film and take it seriously it's impossible not to love this movie. I'm seeing a few hateful reviews on here about it... Welp, the movie wasn't made for you. It was made for us, and for us it's highly relatable and hilarious. It's jammed full of jargon and most of the jokes will go right over the heads of a lot of people, especially those who don't know how stressful the art form of movie making can be. In my opinion, this is the "This is Spinal Tap" of movie making, and it's pretty brilliant. This film should be required viewing in film school.

Reminded me of "Spinal Tap"

[Hang_All_Drunkdrivers · 7/10 · 2 June 2006]

I think most here have seen the comedy "This is Spinal Tap" about a group of idiots masquerading as a rock band. This is kind of the same thing except it's a film crew. Steve Buscemi plays Nick, the director of a low-budget movie who's just trying to film a couple scenes but something keeps going wrong with every attempt. He likes to act calm when the confusion reigns but time and again he loses it and starts throwing things and hitting actors or the crew.

Buscemi is the only big name in the film but his co-stars are equally good. James LeGros plays actor Chad Palomino (love that name) who thinks he's god's greatest gift to women and takes his acting much too seriously. Peter Dinklage is a riot as the extremely handsome and arrogant dwarf . And i loved the women who played Wanda, the sexy director's assistant whose job appears to be just yelling at everyone.

Underrated

[schroeder-gustavo · 9/10 · 9 December 2015]

I have absolutely no idea why this jewel isn't known by more people. Seriously Living in Oblivion is one of the most underrated films ever. Maybe it's because of its low budget and independent release. I'm not saying the movie's perfect, cause I don't think it is, but it should definitely get more recognition that it does. The film is funny as hell and insightful, it shows you a side of movie making that feels very real, as the characters do feel like actual people struggling with certain situations in their lives. Steve Buscemi is great in the film as the struggling director who is just trying to get his film done. Pretty much the whole cast does a great job. Danielle von Zerneck, who plays Wanda, the Assistant Director, is absolutely brilliant. This is apparently the last film she was in and I really have to wonder why. She did a fantastic job in this one. Like I said, the movie is flawed, in my opinion, as there are certain scenes which feel like they stall the plot. But there are very few of these moments in the film and they don't take away the fact that Living in Oblivion is an excellent film.

the perfect role for Steve Buscemi

[lee_eisenberg · 7/10 · 14 June 2006]

We should all know by now that Steve Buscemi is the unofficial king of indie flicks, and "Living in Oblivion" is possibly the best example. He plays the director of a very small movie - something right up his alley - who has to put up with the various problems on the set. We've seen this sort of story before, you say? Well, remember that Buscemi barely has to do anything to make the movie good; his pop-eyed gaze pretty much acts all on its own.

If absolutely nothing else, this movie is a good look into the work that people have to put into making movies. Of course, I think that we need to consider it for much more than that. This movie has something for everyone, in my opinion. Also starring Catherine Keener, Dermot Mulroney, James LeGros, Peter Dinklage and Kevin Corrigan.

Among Spinal Tap and The Commitments as a Personal Fav

[gheyworth · 10/10 · 3 January 2008]

Just one of the most engaging, likable, watchable films I've ever seen.

What?!!! I am not going to write 9 more lines of fluff to satisfy some arbitrary requirement by the web site. You want a comment to improve the site? Stop with the 10 line minimum.

Brevity is the soul of wit. Q.E.D.

Now is the time for all good men...I could have Danced all night, I could have danced all night and still have begged for...

Oh, Hi, White Fang. Is that meringue pie for me?

The good ol' song of Wah-hoo-Wah, We'll sing it o'er and o'er... It cheers our heart and warms our blood, To hear them shout and roar.

Through the oblivion of filmmaking!

[themhmmdali · 7/10 · 21 July 2023]

Despite it's sudden ending I really liked the idea and approach of this film 🎥 Shooting process which is always combined with high tension and anxious atmosphere, here mixed up with tones of humor based on problems that may occur for any team during shooting. It's creative narrative also makes this film a good but definitely not perfect example of independent filmmaking. The team made a good use of both black and white and color negative which is at first probably due to short budget. But despite all these facts that makes watching this film an amusing and interesting experience, it's sudden ending made a negative effect on me, don't worry it isn't that bad but during the film my expectations got higher and higher that when the ending occured I was a little dissatisfied. But I'm sure anybody can enjoy watching this film.

One dream reveal too many

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 18 January 2015]

Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is the director of a low budget film. Nicole Springer (Catherine Keener) is his star. Wolf (Dermot Mulroney) is the artistic cinematographer. Wanda (Danielle von Zerneck) is the production assistant. The shoot keep getting interrupted and Reve blows up but it's all a dream. Reve directs another sequence but it turns out to be Nicole's dream. Then the filming continues on a dream sequence with angry Tito (Peter Dinklage) as a dwarf.

It's a perfectly fine as a behind the scenes indie but the two dream reveals just annoyed me. The movie is not particularly dramatic or funny. The first dream reveal deflated my expectations but the second one was the real killer. By the time the third section comes along, I didn't care about anybody or anything in the film. I do understand Tom DiCillo is trying to portray but one dream reveal is more than enough to get the point across.