For Your Consideration

My favorite genre of movie is probably the mockumentary. Movies such as Real Life, Bob Roberts, and Man Bites Dog have to be about the funniest things ever. There is a scene in Man Bites Dog where Remy (the serial killer) accidentally shoots his "aunt" with the pistol she gave him for his birthday. Or when he teaches the camera crew how to play "dead baby." The picture to the left is Remy waxing philosophical/reciting his poetry while sitting over a body of a victim. Damn! Good stuff. And it is now available as a Criterion Collection movie.

The best of all mockumentary filmmakers however is Christopher Guest. From Spinal Tap through A Mighty Wind the man is freakin' hysterical. I have seen Waiting for Guffman at least 50 times. And I still laugh every time. There is a subtlety to the acting where you know what is happening without having to be beaten over the head with it. Pure genius.

Well, the news is that Chris Guest is directing a new movie called For Your Consideration. The premise revolves around actors filming a "very bad indie film" called "Home for Purim." Awards season buzz begins and starts affecting the cast. In Daily Variety Guest explains that "Home for Purim" is "extraordinarily poorly written movie. It's a melodrama, and it's just awful. These actors never would have imagined that this movie was going to change their lives." A preview here.

Certainly not the most original of his films. In Guffman they actors are affected by the fact that a Broadway producer is arriving. However, this film had Ricky Gervais. You know the guy from the original BBC version of The Office? He with the standard cast of Parker Posey, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer. Well it could be his best.

In an interview that he had on some show around a year ago that I saw Mr. Guest claimed that he was tired of making mockumentaries. I hope that is not true. If so, this may be his last. Keep your eyes open for it's release.