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.
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An aspiring director and the marginally-talented amateur cast of a hokey small-town Missouri musical production go overboard when they learn that someone from Broadway will be in attendance.
Director:
Christopher Guest
Stars:
Christopher Guest,
Fred Willard,
Catherine O'Hara
The US President and UK Prime Minister fancy a war. But not everyone agrees that war is a good thing. The US General Miller doesn't think so and neither does the British Secretary of State ... See full summary »
Director:
Armando Iannucci
Stars:
Peter Capaldi,
Harry Hadden-Paton,
Tom Hollander
Competition between the maid of honor and a bridesmaid, over who is the bride's best friend, threatens to upend the life of an out-of-work pastry chef.
A struggling lawyer and volunteer wrestling coach's chicanery comes back to haunt him when the teenage grandson of the client he's double-crossed comes into his life.
Hollywood send-up. No-name actors are making a low-budget period drama called "Home for Purim," when an anonymous post on the Internet suggests that one performance is Oscar-worthy. Then, two more cast members get Oscar-related press: buzz in "Variety" and appearances on TV prompt the studio executives to insist on changes in the script in anticipation of a blockbuster. Jump ahead a few months to the days before Oscar nominees are announced: just the possibility of a nomination has changed the actors' lives. Agents, publicists, make-up artists, local celebrity reporters, and other bit players round out the backstage ensemble. Hooray for Hollywood! Written by
<jhailey@hotmail.com>
The camera being used to film "Home for Purim" is a Moviecam SuperAmerica. See more »
Goofs
The title of the French film the actress is nominated for is incorrectly named 'Le cheval obscurite'. 'Obscurite' is the noun form of dark, the adjective form 'obscur' should have been used. At any rate, the expression 'dark horse' isn't directly translated as thus in French. See more »
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.
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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.