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A Slice of Life
by Francine Brokaw
For Your Consideration
Christopher Guest’s latest comedy turns the camera on the film industry. In the past Guest has written farces about dog shows, folk singers and others, but now he tackles the insane world of celebrities and their egos. His same wonderful ensemble again fills the screen with the comedy for which they are famous. Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Harry Shearer, Fred Willard, Ed Begley Jr., Michael Hitchcock, and Larry Miller round out this talented cast who this time poke more than just a little fun at movies and celebrities.
This is a movie about making a movie. While making a little art film, Home for Purim, the Hollywood buzz focuses on a potential Oscar nomination for the female star (O’Hara) who starts checking around to find out if she is really being considered for the coveted nod. One by one the show’s actors are singled out for potential awards, changing the atmosphere on the set and the attitudes of the studio heads who decide to turn this little film into something bigger and really show the Academy what they have - which doesn’t please the writers (McKean and Balaban) who think their original script is just fine.
With the backdrop of the movie, film critics and entertainment shows focus on the stars who are all struck by “award fever.” In the meantime, the writers of Home for Purim see their wonderful screenplay get changed little by little, first by the screwball director (Guest) then the studio execs.
The Jewish feeling, words, and traditions of Home for Purim might be over the heads of those who aren’t familiar with the religion, words, and the holiday of Purim, but those who are will surely laugh out loud at the jokes. And for audience members who don’t know exactly what the words and traditions mean, they will be laughing as well because the cast does such a wonderful job of portraying the sense and insaneness of their characters. Religion and Home for Purim is only a small part of this movie, so don’t let that scare you from going to the theater.
Home for Purim is a “period film” that takes place during the ‘40s. It’s an intense drama about a family gathering together for one last holiday with their dying mother. However while the actors are working hard to make this a wonderful dramatic film, their personal lives and interactions combine to make For Your Consideration a comedy that will have audiences roaring with laughter. And after all that has gone on with film stars these past years, who wouldn’t want to poke fun at them, their penchant for overdoing plastic surgery, and their often overblown egos?
Guest and the terrific ensemble are famous for their work together. While they each get a basic script and outline of their characters, these talented actors improvise their parts and play off each other in a way no other ensemble has ever done on film. They are a perfect fit and even though audiences have seen them together several times in the past as different characters, they always manage to make their current roles unique and memorable.
Because there is a movie within this movie, the actors play double roles, and who else but this talented cast could pull it off so wonderfully and with as much comic genius? Take one clueless producer (Coolidge), a bunch of egomaniacal actors, sensitive screenwriters, zany film critics, an eccentric director, and wacky studio heads and you have a hysterical story about Hollywood – That screwy, ballyhooey Hollywood!
© 2006 Francine Brokaw
All pictures ©Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All rights reserved.
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