Waiting for Guffman (1996)

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

Writers:

Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy

Stars:

Christopher Guest, Fred Willard, Catherine O'Hara

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Deborah Theaker	...	Gwen Fabin-Blunt - Councilwoman
Michael Hitchcock	...	Steve Stark - Councilman
Scott Williamson	...	Tucker Livingston - Councilman
Larry Miller	...	Glenn Welsch - Mayor
Don Lake	...	Phil Burgess - Blaine Historian
Christopher Guest	...	Corky St. Clair
Fred Willard	...	Ron Albertson
Catherine O'Hara	...	Sheila Albertson
Parker Posey	...	Libby Mae Brown
David Cross	...	UFO Expert
Eugene Levy	...	Dr. Allan Pearl
James McQueen	...	Singing Auditioner (as Jim McQueen)
Turk Pipkin	...	Ping Pong Ball Juggler
Jerry Turman	...	Raging Bull Auditioner
Bob Balaban	...	Lloyd Miller

Storyline

The residents of Blaine, Missouri - the self-proclaimed home of the first UFO landing in the United States (Blaine residents beg to differ with Roswell's claims) and stool capital of the world - are excited about the town's upcoming sesquicentennial celebrations, which will have as its centerpiece the original musical production, "Red, White and Blaine". Assisted by high school music teacher Lloyd Miller, Corky St. Clair, the musical's writer/composer and former New York theater professional (off off off off Broadway) who currently leads the Blaine Community Players, will helm the production. Corky and Lloyd are excited about their 'talented' cast of locals and the production as a whole, Corky and Lloyd who themselves are as untalented and unaware as their cast. Corky and company are especially anticipating the presence of Mort Guffman in the audience on opening night, he a representative of the prestigious New York based Oppenheimer Organization. In Corky's mind, a favorable review ...

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Plot Keywords:

mockumentary | eyeglasses | cringe comedy | columbia tristar | missouri | 

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Taglines:

A New Comedy from the lead guitarist of 'Spinal Tap'

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for brief strong language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Frances Fisher filmed scenes as Johnny Savage's mother but her scenes were deleted from the film. She does appear in the film's trailer.

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Goofs

After Corky shares the news of Mr. Guffman's arrival, Libby says "Wow." She then asks "What does this mean, Corky?" but the movement of her mouth shows she's not actually saying the line.

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Quotes

Ron Albertson: I had to have penis reduction surgery.
Dr. Allan Pearl: Penis *reduction*?
Sheila: I said to him, "Ron, you've gotta do something!" And he says to me, "Well, why don't you get one of those vagina enlargements?"

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits Christopher Guest's character shows us some of the fun memorabilia that he sells in his store.

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Alternate Versions

There is at least one rough cut of the film in circulation among fans of Guffman. It features an expanded performance of "Red, White and Blaine", including the musical number "This Bulging River", as well as dozens of alternate takes, as well as the exclusion of many scenes in the finished film, which were shot after this first rought cut was made.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

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Soundtracks

Unknown
(uncredited)
Written by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer

User Reviews

A great little film that points out a quality in all of us

Some people might say this film's improvisational nature is dull and slow, it's the complete opposite. Just imagine a movie completely improvised? Not only does it take talent, it takes guts and charisma to stay with something so bold. While the ending was a little abrupt, this film was still one to enjoy. Christopher Guest seems to have playing a homosexual down to a hilt. If it wasn't for his role in Best in Show, I thought he would forever be typecast as an eccentric gay character. A fun film to watch if you're into alternate types of comedy.

But this film also says a little something about the human condition. We aren't all people who wait for each other to speak and are perfectly capable of leading a group of people. This is Guest's gift: he can accentuate the insecurities we have within ourselves and portray it perfectly on celluloid.

Details

Official Sites:

Warner Bros. / Castle Rock [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 January 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Christopher Guest Project

Filming Locations:

Gaslight Baker Theater, Lockhart, Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$37,990, 2 February 1997

Gross USA:

$2,923,982

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,923,982

Company Credits

Production Co:

Castle Rock Entertainment, Pale Morning Dun, All Night Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SDDS SDDS (uncredited)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1