Spring Break
Movie Reviews
In theaters 'For Your Consideration' and also in theaters'Shut Up and Sing'
David Coley & John Adicks
Issue date: 11/27/06 Section: Culture
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In Theaters
'For Your Consideration'
It's the end of the year, and the Oscar season is in full swing. Studios are heavily promoting their hopeful contenders, and films either succeed or die miserably in the eyes of the critics and the public.
However, as is often the mantra of Oscar forecasters, "nobody knows anything." This uncertainty gives the characters in "For Your Consideration" their hope and disappointment.
It is the latest comedy from writer/director/actor Christopher Guest, whose previous outings - "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind" - enjoy devoted followings. Released in the midst of all the hoopla it lampoons, the film follows the actors and crew behind the film "Home for Purim," a melodrama about a Jewish family celebrating the favorite holiday of their dying matriarch.
As is traditional in Guest's films, the project is populated by devastatingly na've characters who become so devoted to their cause that they fail to see the reality of their situation. The actors, played by Guest regulars Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer and Parker Posey, soon discover they have caught some "buzz" on the Internet that could lead to their receiving Oscar nominations for their performances.
The ensuing publicity drive and the shooting of the film provide the bulk of the story, as the actors struggle with the possibility of making the "A-list" and being catapulted into the ranks of the best of the best. Equally caught up in the fever are agents, played by Eugene Levy and John Michael Higgins, as well as other behind-the-scenes figures. However, if you have seen a Guest film, you know it will not end well.
It is that predictability that is damaging to the film in some instances. Even though it does not follow the usual "mockumentary" format Guest perfected in his earlier movies, it still carries the same spirit, and with it some of the same gags. This results in a lack of surprise that is often essential to comedy.
'For Your Consideration'
It's the end of the year, and the Oscar season is in full swing. Studios are heavily promoting their hopeful contenders, and films either succeed or die miserably in the eyes of the critics and the public.
However, as is often the mantra of Oscar forecasters, "nobody knows anything." This uncertainty gives the characters in "For Your Consideration" their hope and disappointment.
It is the latest comedy from writer/director/actor Christopher Guest, whose previous outings - "Waiting for Guffman," "Best in Show," "A Mighty Wind" - enjoy devoted followings. Released in the midst of all the hoopla it lampoons, the film follows the actors and crew behind the film "Home for Purim," a melodrama about a Jewish family celebrating the favorite holiday of their dying matriarch.
As is traditional in Guest's films, the project is populated by devastatingly na've characters who become so devoted to their cause that they fail to see the reality of their situation. The actors, played by Guest regulars Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer and Parker Posey, soon discover they have caught some "buzz" on the Internet that could lead to their receiving Oscar nominations for their performances.
The ensuing publicity drive and the shooting of the film provide the bulk of the story, as the actors struggle with the possibility of making the "A-list" and being catapulted into the ranks of the best of the best. Equally caught up in the fever are agents, played by Eugene Levy and John Michael Higgins, as well as other behind-the-scenes figures. However, if you have seen a Guest film, you know it will not end well.
It is that predictability that is damaging to the film in some instances. Even though it does not follow the usual "mockumentary" format Guest perfected in his earlier movies, it still carries the same spirit, and with it some of the same gags. This results in a lack of surprise that is often essential to comedy.
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