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
From metacritic.com
Related News
-
Coen Brothers Book: Read This Exclusive Excerpt About the Making of ‘Burn After Reading’
11 September 2018 | Indiewire -
/Filmcast Ep. 483 – Searching
06 September 2018 | Slash Film -
Recommended New Books on Filmmaking: ‘2001: A Space Odyssey,’ Stephen King, ‘Caddyshack,’ and Summer Reading
23 May 2018 | The Film Stage
User Lists
Related lists from IMDb users
Share this Rating
Title: The Big Picture (1989)
Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.
Learn more
More Like This
For Your Consideration
(2006)
Comedy
Director:
Christopher Guest
Stars:
Catherine O'Hara,
Harry Shearer,
Parker Posey
Waiting for Guffman
(1996)
Comedy
Director:
Christopher Guest
Stars:
Christopher Guest,
Fred Willard,
Catherine O'Hara
Heart of Midnight
(1988)
Drama
|
Horror
|
Thriller
Director:
Matthew Chapman
Stars:
Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Brenda Vaccaro,
Jack Hallett
Quicksilver
(1986)
Crime
|
Drama
|
Thriller
Director:
Thomas Michael Donnelly
Stars:
Kevin Bacon,
Jami Gertz,
Paul Rodriguez
The Couch Trip
(1988)
Comedy
Director:
Michael Ritchie
Stars:
Dan Aykroyd,
Walter Matthau,
Charles Grodin
Rush
(1991)
Action
|
Crime
|
Drama
Director:
Lili Fini Zanuck
Stars:
Jason Patric,
Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Sam Elliott
Gas, Food Lodging
(1992)
Drama
|
Romance
Director:
Allison Anders
Stars:
Brooke Adams,
Ione Skye,
Fairuza Balk
Last Exit to Brooklyn
(1989)
Drama
Director:
Uli Edel
Stars:
Jennifer Jason Leigh,
Stephen Lang,
Burt Young
Mascots
(2016)
Comedy
Director:
Christopher Guest
Stars:
Zach Woods,
Wayne Wilderson,
Sarah Baker
Lisztomania
(1975)
Biography
|
Comedy
|
Music
Director:
Ken Russell
Stars:
Roger Daltrey,
Sara Kestelman,
Paul Nicholas
The Doctor and the Devils
(1985)
Horror
|
Drama
Director:
Freddie Francis
Stars:
Timothy Dalton,
Jonathan Pryce,
Twiggy
Edit
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 | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
See All (48) »
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? Written by Reid Gagle
Plot Keywords:
cheating boyfriend | boyfriend girlfriend reunion | boyfriend girlfriend relationship | wet daydream | brief full frontal female nudity |Taglines:
Hollywood Reel To Real See more »Parents Guide:
View content advisory »
Edit
Edit
See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
15 December 1989 (Brazil) See more »Also Known As:
A Grande Comédia See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$5,000,000 (estimated)Gross USA:
$117,463Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Ultra StereoAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
Edit
See more »
(uncredited)
Written by George Michael
Performed by Wham!
See more »
Did You Know?
Goofs
A pointed piece of equipment moves up and out of frame as Lydia is talking to Nick in her apartment. See more »Quotes
Allen Habel: We're doing a picture in London right now and everyone is just freaking out.See more »
Soundtracks
Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go(uncredited)
Written by George Michael
Performed by Wham!
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
Enjoy a night in with these popular movies available to stream now with Prime Video.
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.