I'm a huge fan of Christopher Guest movies. From a generation ago when he co-wrote and co-starred in This Is Spinal Tap, through his too-short stint on Saturday Night Live and his current kick-ass mockumentaries, I get his sense of humor.
Every well crafted line of dialogue. Every camera shot that stays focused on the scene just slightly longer than it should. And every character that struggles with social awkwardness and angst. His Harlan Pepper, the dog showing country bumpkin slash ventriloquist who delivers a monologue on nut trivia in the movie Best In Show, is one of the funniest characters I've seen in movies.
Ever.
I popped For Your Consideration in quickly when the red envelope arrived. The movie about a movie--specifically, the making of a movie called Home For Porim--stars the same ensemble you've seen in Guest's films from the past ten years or so. It's a cast I really like: Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Michael McKean, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard. A wonderful, talented cast that always makes a Chris Guest movie even better.
Well, ...at least in For Your Consideration they tried.
The movie rarely made me laugh, failed to keep my attention and was pretty forgettable. The plot--that minor Oscar buzz about a small budget movie shapes the production of the movie and how the actors approach their work--is interesting, but doesn't seem to have the stamina for a full length feature. It's funny, but only in spots. The acting is fine, but couldn't elevate the flick above it's other problems.
Skip For Your Consideration and watch Best In Show again. You'll laugh harder.
5 comments:
I liked A Mighty Wind myself.
Every well crafted line of dialogue.
Interesting description, given that most (all?) of the dialog is improvised.
+1 for A Mighty Wind -"There was abuse in my family, but it was mostly musical in nature" - it's like Spinal Tap unplugged.
I've read that much of the dialog is improvised, some reviews say as much as 70 or 80 percent. But even improvised dialogue can be well crafted; in fact, I'd suggest that it's because those improvised lines are so well crafted by the actors and Guest's direction that they are successful. Poorly crafted improv would rather suck now, wouldn't it.
I like A Mighty Wind too, but Best In Show is still my favorite.
You know, I just got an unfunny vibe from the trailers of FYC. It didn't look nearly as interesting as his other films.
"Hey, wha' happened?"
Redzeppelin: I'll tell ya wha' happend? There was nothing like the "wha' happened" line in the flick. Nada. And it's too bad, because I really love those guys.
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