For Your Consideration (2006)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Christopher Guest

Writers (WGA):

Christopher Guest (written by) &
Eugene Levy (written by)

Release Date:

22 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Three actors learn that their respective performances in the film "Home for Purim," a drama set in the mid-1940s American South, are generating award-season buzz.

Plot Keywords:

Actor | Hollywood | Reporter | Agent | Make Up

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Catherine O'Hara	...	Marilyn Hack
Stephen Rannazzisi	...	Studio Gate Guard
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Sandy Lane
Eugene Levy	...	Morley Orfkin
Harry Shearer	...	Victor Allan Miller
Christopher Moynihan	...	Brian Chubb
Christopher Guest	...	Jay Berman
John Michael Higgins	...	Corey Taft
Carrie Aizley	...	Pam Campanella
Stephanie Courtney	...	Boom Operator
Suzy Nakamura	...	First AC
Jim Piddock	...	Simon Whitset
Jane Morris	...	Script Supervisor
Jennifer Coolidge	...	Whitney Taylor Brown
Jordan Black	...	Whitney's Assistant

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual references and brief language.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Ireland:12A | UK:12A | Singapore:PG | Australia:M | New Zealand:M

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Shangri-La Entertainment

Trivia:

As is with all other Christopher Guest films, very little of the movie has a detailed script. Guest generally writes an outline so that the actors know what needs to happen in the scene, does a maximum of two or three takes, and has no rehearsals prior to filming.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Chuck (Fred Willard) is starting the ensemble interview for Hollywood Now and says "Three, two, one, and hit 'em!", his mouth isn't moving in sync with the words.

Quotes:

Whitney Taylor Brown: [everyone around her is arguing] Well what about me?

Movie Connections:

Spoofs "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies" (1986)

Soundtrack:

Chill

Disappointing.

Lights. Camera. Satire! Such is the mantra of actor/director Christopher Guest's latest film, For Your Consideration, a parody of pretentious Hollywood ceremonies and the actors that suck up to them. With award season upon us, it would seem to be a very appropriate time for the release of such a film, and in fact, it is…if only the film were good. Rather, the formerly hilarious Guest provides us with an interesting premise and not much comedy to back it up – only a myriad of underdeveloped and overly annoying characters.

Washed-up and nearly forgotten, Marilyn Hack (Catherine O'Hara) strives to gain recognition as a serious actress, barely surviving on mere crumbs of ambition. When she hears rumors of a possible Academy Award nomination for her role in the nauseatingly sentimental Home For Purim, she becomes obsessed with fantasies of fame and praise. As rumors of nomination begin to surround the rest of the cast, rivalry and obsession dominate the set, inflating the egos of the previously unemployed actors.

Since his 1996 film, Waiting for Guffman, many of Guest's films have achieved "cult classic" status and have been deservingly hailed as innovative comic gems by audiences and critics alike. His most popular films, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and the aforementioned Waiting for Guffman, all share a common bond –they are "mockumentaries". Primarily dependent on the improvisation of their veteran actors, Guest's films are hilarious and often bizarre doses of comedy, thick with wit and absurdity. For Your Consideration, however, is not a "mockmentary," a simple descriptor that may be the cause of its failure. Substituting mere pity chuckles for full-bellied laughter, the film wastes the talent of its cast, providing them with a dull and dry script, and allowing no room for the celebrated ad-libbing that made Guest's previous films so successful. With talent such as O'Hara, Harry Shearer, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Begley Jr., Ricky Gervais, and Guest himself, a film as chronically unfunny as this one is an absolute disgrace.

While the film successfully parodies "infotainment" television programming, the fickle entertainment industry, plastic surgery trends, and standard award season maudlin trash, it doesn't do so with any originality or inspiration. It seems as if even the cast were bored making this film. The performances are good, especially on behalf of the charming O'Hara, but are ultimately forgettable. Let's hope Guest either quits or finds a way to redeem himself, but regardless, one thing is for sure: there will certainly be no "consideration" for Guest this time around.