The Big Picture (1989)

Film school grad Nick Chapman thought his career was made after his award winning short film, but discovered Hollywood wasn't as easy as it seems.

Director:

Christopher Guest

Writers:

Michael Varhol (story), Christopher Guest (story)

Stars:

Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Emily Longstreth

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Bacon	...	Nick Chapman
Emily Longstreth	...	Susan Rawlings
J.T. Walsh	...	Allen Habel
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Lydia Johnson
Michael McKean	...	Emmet Sumner
Kim Miyori	...	Jenny Sumner
Teri Hatcher	...	Gretchen
Dan Schneider	...	Jonathan Tristan-Bennet
Jason Gould	...	Carl Manknik
Tracy Brooks Swope	...	Lori Pressman
Don Franklin	...	Todd Marvin
Gary Kroeger	...	Mark
Alice Hirson	...	Mrs. Chapman
Grant Owens	...	Mr. Chapman
Fran Drescher	...	Polo Habel

Storyline

Nick Chapman graduates from film school, and his short film wins a special prize. This gives him a high enough profile that he can get Hollywood to back the film he has long dreamed of making. Studio exec Allen Habel is interested. But Nick soon is seduced by Hollywood and makes one concession after another until his original movie is lost altogether. Worse, Nick is lost, too, turning on girlfriend Susan and old buddy Emmet. Will he come to his sense before everything is lost?

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Plot Keywords:

cheating boyfriend | boyfriend girlfriend reunion | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | wet daydream | brief full frontal female nudity | 

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Taglines:

Hollywood Reel To Real

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1989 (Brazil)

Also Known As:

A Grande Comédia

Filming Locations:

The Vista Theatre - 4473 Sunset Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$117,463

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aspen Film Society

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Nick (Bacon) meets Gretchen (Hatcher) for the first time, the song "Midnight at the Oasis" is heard in the background performed musak style. The same song was also used in Christopher Guest's film Waiting for Guffman (1996).

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Goofs

At the beginning of the movie in the student film about the courtroom drama, the Judge in the close up shots is Roddy McDowall but in the long shots it's a different actor that looks nothing like McDowall.

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Quotes

Neil Sussman: I'm very, very aware... that you are seeing other agents. And I think it's good that you are. Finally, I mean it's healthy. But, this is the thing. If you decide to sign with me, you're gonna get more than an agent. You're gonna get three people.
[Holds up four fingers]
Neil Sussman: You're gonna get an agent, a mother, a father, a shoulder to cry on, someone who knows this business inside and out. And if anyone ever tries to cross you, I'll grab them by the balls and squeeze 'til they're dead.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Queen Latifah (2004)

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Soundtracks

You're Driving Me Crazy
Written by David Nichtern and Gregory Prestopino (as Greg Prestopino)
Performed by Gregory Prestopino (as Greg Prestopino)
[Plays as Nick drives to Gretchen while imagining their tryst.]

User Reviews

Want to make a movie? - This is the one to see!

This film is a wonderful example of how to get a movie made in Hollywood.

Kevin Bacon stars as a hot new director, with a prestigious award to his credit who has one aim, to make his script his way.

What then ensues is a sequence of events that should serve as a warning to people wanting to make their own movie on what to be careful of.

Bacon's script starts as a simple movie of two couples on holiday together, while one half of them is having an affair, thanks to various obstacles it transforms into a trashy affair of beaches, cheerleaders and very little story, called Beachnuts.

While this happens Bacon's personal life is also falling apart thanks to the lures of Teri Hatcher's struggling young actress.

Finally, an extremely low-budget music video puts Bacon back on the map and this time he sticks to his guns.

The message for young movie-makers is, do not lose sight of what you want and be aware of the extreme fickleness of Hollywood, which this demonstrates exceedingly well.