Waiting for Guffman
Actor: Lewis Arquette , Bob Balaban , David Cross (II) , Paul Dooley , Brian Doyle-Murray
ISBN: 0780633423
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
Customer Rating:
, based on 370 reviews
Lowest Price: $8.49
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Editorial Review:
One of the funniest films in many a moon was hiding at art house theaters in 1998. Former Saturday Night Live comedian and Spinal Tap member Christopher Guest creates the ultimate parody of small-town dramatics, Waiting for Guffman. Corky St. Claire (Guest), an overwhelming drama director hiding out in Blaine, Missouri, thinks he has found the vehicle to put him back on Broadway: the city's 150th anniversary play, Red, White, and Blaine. As rehearsals start, we learn of the town's history ("the stool capital of the world") including a brush with a UFO. The mockumentary follows the various townsfolk wishing for stardom: Parker Posey as a Dairy Queen clerk, Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard as stage-struck travel agents, Matthew Keeslar as the town's bad boy, and Eugene Levy (who cowrote the film with Guest) as a dentist who dreams of glory on the stage. The film is a hoot from beginning to end, and be sure to watch the closing credits. Fans of Guest's deft dry humor should not miss his other parody of the entertainment world, The Big Picture (Kevin Bacon as a student filmmaker who goes to Hollywood). --Doug Thomas
It's a very fine balancing act, making a fake documentary which isn't farce, which is internally consistent and which could be true, in which every line is delivered "straight," and which is still quite funny. We get the joke because the characters don't. To pull this off requires great writing and great acting.
This film manages that balancing act, and the result is a DVD that I'm glad to own because I'll enjoy it again.
But in Waiting for Guffman, there's too much that doesn't even seem to try to be funny. Instead it paints a picture of how boring these characters are, which would work if it were made to be funny, but it isn't. This movie seemed like a good premise for a movie that could have had a lot of funny bits in it, but it didn't take advantage of that.
One of the funniest films in many a moon was hiding at art house theaters in 1998. Former Saturday Night Live comedian and Spinal Tap member Christopher Guest creates the ultimate parody of small-town dramatics, Waiting for Guffman. Corky St. Claire (Guest), an overwhelming drama director hiding out in Blaine, Missouri, thinks he has found the vehicle to put him back on Broadway: the city's 150th anniversary play, Red, White, and Blaine. As rehearsals start, we learn of the town's history ("the stool capital of the world") including a brush with a UFO. The mockumentary follows the various townsfolk wishing for stardom: Parker Posey as a Dairy Queen clerk, Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard as stage-struck travel agents, Matthew Keeslar as the town's bad boy, and Eugene Levy (who cowrote the film with Guest) as a dentist who dreams of glory on the stage. The film is a hoot from beginning to end, and be sure to watch the closing credits. Fans of Guest's deft dry humor should not miss his other parody of the entertainment world, The Big Picture (Kevin Bacon as a student filmmaker who goes to Hollywood). --Doug Thomas
Customer Reviews:
Superb off beat comedy
This is a fine comedy movie from the Spinal Tap people. There are great one liners and a terrific cast. This is a small gem, a wonderful film. 2008-08-22
Masterful and Very Funny
Just to get it out of the way, I've ordered THIS IS SPINAL TAP and I know nothing about BEST IN SHOW.
It's a very fine balancing act, making a fake documentary which isn't farce, which is internally consistent and which could be true, in which every line is delivered "straight," and which is still quite funny. We get the joke because the characters don't. To pull this off requires great writing and great acting.
This film manages that balancing act, and the result is a DVD that I'm glad to own because I'll enjoy it again.
2008-05-09
Can't stop laughing
If you are a Christopher Guest fan, and you loved Best in Show then you will get a big kick out of this film. My husband and I stumbled across it years ago and we watch it over and over and never fail to throw back our heads laughing.
2008-04-25
BEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME
If you are a community theatre person, have done any high school theatre, or even seen any community theatre productions then this is the film for you. Christopher Guest steals the show as always!
2008-03-24
It Was Alright
I'll start off by saying that I love and own This is Spinal Tap. I also thought that Best in Show was really funny and that A Mighty Wind was worthy of a rental. But this Christopher Guest movie just didn't live up to my expectations, which were based on other reviews that called this movie Guest's best. Well, it's not. It's got a few moments in it that made me laugh, but overall the movie was filled with too much boring stuff. Usually these movies will have plenty to laugh about, and there will be an occasional joke that doesn't work well.
But in Waiting for Guffman, there's too much that doesn't even seem to try to be funny. Instead it paints a picture of how boring these characters are, which would work if it were made to be funny, but it isn't. This movie seemed like a good premise for a movie that could have had a lot of funny bits in it, but it didn't take advantage of that.
2008-03-06
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