Waiting for Guffman
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bob Balaban, Brian Doyle-Murray, David Cross (II), Lewis Arquette, Paul DooleyBrand: ARQUETTE,LEWIS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 84 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-08-21
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Movie Reviews of Waiting for Guffman
Movie Review: One of the funniest movies of the past decade
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, it is that funny. The humor in this film alternates between exceedingly subtle and understated to borderline farce in a worthy successor of Rob Reiner's THIS IS SPINAL TAP, in which Christopher Guest costarred, and predecessor to Guest's later masterpieces BEST IN SHOW and A MIGHTY WIND. Reiner in his film created the mockumentary comedy genre, in which characters largely ad libbed their parts while everything was filmed as if it were a documentary. Guest has in three films now masterfully emulated Reiner's style, assembling a group of actors he prefers to use over and again. Almost all of the central actors have appeared in two or more of these films and several in all three.
Unless one prefers dumbed-down slapstick, this is comedy just about as funny as it comes. The first time I saw it I don't think I really caught on until the scene where Blaine, Missouri's (the film was actually filmed in Texas) town historian recounted how Blaine was founded after wagon train leader Blaine Fabin mistakenly told the settlers that they were in California near the Pacific when in fact they were in Missouri.
The plot is rather simple. In honor of the 150th anniversary of Blaine's inadvertent founding, a day of celebration is being held that will be capped by a locally written and produced musical revue. Corky St. Clair, an obviously gay theater person who has fled New York for the small town, takes on the challenge of directing. The bulk of the movie consists of auditions, rehearsals, and the final performance of the musical. The title stems from the hope that a Mr. Guffman of a New York theatrical company will be in attendance.
This film was literally made up as they went along. My understanding is that they ended up with dozens of hours of footage out of which Guest had to craft a final film. While move films are refined in the editing phase, this one is unique for being created at that stage. Because most of the dialogue is made up as the cameras roll, a film like this takes a special cast of actors. Veterans of improv like Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy and stand ups such as Fred Willard are to be expected, but what is so great is how people you wouldn't automatically think would excel in the form, such as the always delightful Parker Posey, do so. By way of trivia, the part of the play's narrator is played by Lewis Arquette, son of Cliff Arquette and father of all those other Arquettes, including Rosanna, Patricia, and David. And I'm sure all ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT fans will love the UFO expert, played by none other than Tobias himself, David Cross (famed himself for ad libbing many of his lines on that show).
One of the best jokes in the movie occurs in a "Three Months Later" coda that finds out where the principal performers in the musical have ended up. Corky is back in New York, hoping for tryouts (perhaps as Henry Higgins in a revival of MY FAIR LADY). The joke comes when we find out he is running a Hollywood memorabilia store, where one of the hottest items is a MY DINNER WITH ANDRE action figure set. For those who haven't seen the film, the only thing that happens in the entirety of the movie is Wallace and Andre talk while seated in a restaurant.
I've learned the hard way that this and Guest's other films aren't for everybody. Not everyone seems to "get" them. This astonishes me since I find these films funnier than anything else coming out of Hollywood these days. But for whatever reason, so people are not capacitated for some reason to enjoy them. But for those who are, these films are priceless gems.
Summary of Waiting for Guffman
A former big-city musical star gathers the residents of Blaine, Missouri together to create a production in hopes of being discovered.Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: R
Release Date: 3-FEB-2004
Media Type: DVD
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