Waiting for Guffman
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Movie Reviews of Waiting for Guffman
Movie Review: "I find I have no feeling in my buttocks."
Summary: 5 Stars
Hey Amazon censor - "buttocks" is not a bad word. Lighten up :-)
"Waiting For Guffman" is another Christopher Guest-and-ensemble-cast mockumentary, this time involving community theater in Blaine, Missouri, "the stool capital of the world."
There was no real script, but the actors did have certain plot-points to work around, and they pull off a very funny movie.
The musical in the movie, entitled "Red, White, and Blaine" is to be performed on the 150th anniversary of the founding of the town of Blaine by cross-country wagoneers who at night believed they had reached the Pacific ocean but when the sun rose they discovered they did not quite make it, the town's subsequent quality stool manufacturing, and an alien abduction.
There is the crop-circle scientist who explains that although the diameter and circumference change slightly, the radius is always the same, as is the weather - "when you step into that circle it is always 67 degrees with a 40 percent chance of rain - always".
There is the alien abductee (perhaps my favorite part) played by Paul Dooley. He had the misfortune to be probed by many aliens (though not all at once) which leads to his buttocks being numb on Sundays.
Cast regular Eugene Levy plays a Jewish dentist, and Fred Willard and Catherine O'Hara are husband and wife travel agents who have never been outside Blaine. Bob Balaban plays the straight-laced local music teacher who is somewhat put upon trying to get Christopher Guest (Corky, the show's director) to hold proper rehearsals. Parker Posey is the local Dairy Queen employee with dreams of stardom and a father in prison.
The group goes through the audition process for their role in the musical, then rehearsals, and finally the performance, during which they anticipate the arrival of an influential NY drama critic, Mort Guffman - hence the title.
There are a lot of funny little moments, such as Corky wearing those big pants and doing his little dance, or Levy singing "I Dream of Jeanie With the Light Brown Hair", or rehearsing his "how high a ridge I could not tell" line, or Willard talking about his reduction surgery and trying to show it to Eugene Levy who retorts in a Johnny Carson voice..."Medicine man not go near...'Dances With Stumpy'.
Much of the show music was written by Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer from "Spinal Tap" fame.
The DVD had deleted scenes with optional commentary, a text-based behind the scenes, a commentary by Guest and Levy, subtitles and a trailer.
"I'll tell you why I can't put up with you people. Because you're (...) people. That's what you are. You're just (...) people, and I'm goin' home and I'm gonna - I'm gonna bite my pillow, is what I'm gonna do!"
Movie Review: Funniest movie I've ever seen
Summary: 5 Stars
Christopher Guest is probably best known for being the alter ego of Nigel Tufnel, lead guitarist of Spinal Tap in the film This is Spinal Tap. What people often miss out on are his multiple talents. For example, in This is Spinal Tap, Guest not only gave a wonderfully silly, yet nuanced performance as the band's vapid guitar player, but he also co-wrote (with Rob Reiner, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer) the screenplay and co-wrote (also with Reiner, McKean, and Shearer) all of the band's songs on the soundtrack. This sort of "renaissance man" behavior would lead anyone to expect great things on the horizon from Guest. And almost fifteen years later, it happened.
Waiting for Guffman is the story of the residents of Blaine, Missouri, celebrating its sesquicentennial (150th anniversary). With the help of Corky St. Clair (Guest), a Broadway veteran, they are going to put on a musical called Red, White, and Blaine. During rehearsals, Corky gets a letter stating that casting director Mort Guffman is coming to town to see the show. The cast gets really excited and puts on the show of their lives.
...With a man who appears to be Mort Guffman sitting in the front row...
Guffman is really the story behind the play, however. A story that anyone who has ever done community theatre will identify with. Particularly anyone who has ever done really bad community theatre.
But along with being a stunning satire on local theatre troupes, Waiting for Guffman is also almost totally improvised. Apart from the songs, which were written before, the actors were only given direction (by writers Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy) as to what should happen in a given scene, then were given free reign to improvise their own dialogue. This is what brings Waiting for Guffman to Recommendation level.
That and the fact that it's the funniest movie I've ever seen.
Fred Willard and Catherine O'Hara co-star and Blaine's semi-famous acting couple. Eugene Levy plays Dr. Allan Pearl, a dentist with a Johnny Carson fixation who has just discovered the show biz bug. Parker Posey is just adorable as Libby Mae, former Dairy Queen clerk getting a taste for the big time. The cast is perfect and this movie would not have been the same without them.
All in all, Waiting for Guffman is a stunning parody of community theatre, complete with Broadway-style songs about Blaine, stools, and UFO's written by Spinal Tap veterans Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer.
[Guest and company attempted to repeat the formula with Best in Show (which I found lacking), but this is such an original that it stands high above its successor.]
Movie Review: Best In Show Plus Rocky Horror Equals Guffman
Summary: 5 Stars
Waiting for Guffman is another wonderful mockumentary from actor/director Christopher Guest (Spinal Tap, Best in Show) and cowriter/partner in crime Eugene Levy. The film highlights the big dreams and raw (very raw) talent of the five stars of Red, White and Blaine, the celebratory musical commemorating Blaine, Missouris 150th anniversary. The humor in Guffman is of the cut-above variety, founded on relationships and underlined by the characters hopes. Guest plays Corky St. Clair, a refugee from Broadway who has found a niche for his special abilities as the de facto King of Theater in Blaine. Levy plays the town dentist who is auditioning for the very first time. Parker Posey is the perky, poignant and perhaps pathetic ingenue who works at the Dairy Queen. Catherine OHara and Fred Willard prove the maxim that matching sweatsuits betray an unhappy marriage. Bob Balaban plays Lloyd Miller the music director who is grounded in reality, although his suggestion that the cast might spend some of the rehearsal time actually practicing the songs and dances is met with hostility. As an ex-theater major from Hays, Kansas I found the characters 100% real even while laughing at the absurdity of their belief in the possibility that they might take their show to Broadway.
The musical itself would make a great cult movie in the vein of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The events commemorated include the settling of Blaine (in which a wagon train leader manages to convince an entire group of people that theyve already reached California), the famous UFO sighting and alien encounter, and the founding of the stool-making business which drove Blaines economy for generations.
The DVD is worth seeing just for the extra features. The commentary by Guest and Levy is more informative than funny. I got the impression that they were distracted from the commentary by the brilliance of certain scenes in the movie. The extra scenes, however, were hilarious. Waiting for Guffman was shot from a bare-bones script and the actors were encouraged to improvise most of the dialogue. From over 60 hours of footage the best scenes were selected: three of the original scenes that didnt get into the musical, an alternate ending for OHara and Willard, scenes with characters that never made it into the movie, and an explanation for why the dentists wife has a Wisconsin accent.
Movie Review: You should feel lucky
Summary: 5 Stars
You should feel lucky to see this film.... In today's world of college romp sexual comedies, Waiting For Guffman is a comedy that is overlooked. The thing about this movie that differentiates it from the others is that you must possess a thinking brain to get it. The dialogue in this movie is top notch. It is hard to even explain the importance of this movie in today's cinematic arena. It must be said that Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy have not only made a statement with this film, but they set the bar at which all modern comedies must be measured.The characters in this film are so extreme that you fall in love with all of them everytime you watch this movie. Corky St. Clair is without a doubt one of the funniest characters in movie history. Dr. Allan Pearl, and Ron and Shelia Albertson will have you laughing until the final act. Everyone else in this film are just icing on the cake. If I had one film to show to the world that they have'nt seen yet...this would be it. It is a gift for every movie lover.
American Pie is funny, so is Road Trip and Scary Movie, but this film blows all of those movies out of the water. Those movies are easy to make: get big breasted girls together with a bunch of swearing, coming of age men, and you have a hit movie. Easy formula. But Waiting For Guffman transcends that formula. This film strays from the norm in the fact that it establishes a character base and thrives on all of those character's quirks and nuances. It seems that for every character in this film, I know someone in real life that parrallels that character's personality. That, to me, makes THE perfect formula for a hit movie.
The DVD edition is a must have for all movie collectors. The directors commentary ADDS to the movie, when you know where they are coming from, it makes the movie that much funnier. The deleted scenes portion is like the dessert to a full course dinner. There are some scenes in there that you would swear are funnier than those that made the final cut.
In closing: If you are looking for a comedy that you can watch again and again, buy this movie. If you are looking for characters that you will come to know and love, buy this movie. If you are looking for ORIGINAL film making, buy this movie. I would put this movie up against todays "formula" movies time and time again and call Waiting For Guffman a winner hands down.
Movie Review: 'Guffman' is Guest at his Best.
Summary: 5 Stars
Christopher Guest is best known for having written, directed and starred in several heavily improvised "mockumentary" films including This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, and Best in Show, of which Waiting for Guffman is my personal favorite. Each of these films shares a similar plot development leading up to some kind of a much-anticipated performance. Guest and Eugene Levy frequently collaborate as writers, and Guest leads the same repertory troupe of actors from one film to the next including Guest, Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Parker Posey, Fred Willard, and Bob Balaban.
Waiting for Guffman is a parody of community theater that takes it title perhaps from Beckett's Waiting for Godot. (Waiting for Godot is an existentialist play in which the characters wait for Godot, a character who never arrives.) Set in small town America (Blaine, Missouri to be exact), it follows a handful of self-deluded residents as they rehearse to put on a community theater musical entitled "Red, White and Blaine." Guest plays the show's flamboyant (as in gay) director, Corky St. Clair, a "relocated" Broadway director. He promises the troupe that a positive review from Broadway producer Mort Guffman could mean a Broadway run for the cast. Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard play the parts of Ron and Sheila Albertson, a pair of married travel agents and amateur performers. Parker Posey plays the delicious Dairy Queen employee Libby Mae Brown. Bob Balaban plays Lloyd Miller, the frustrated high-school music teacher and musical director. Lewis Arquette plays Clifford Wooley, a retired taxidermist. Matt Keeslar plays the handsome and oblivious mechanic, Johnny Savage, for whom Corky has a special interest, Levy plays a dentist, Dr. Alan Pearl. Waiting for Guffman is a true laugh-fest, and don't miss the closing credits.
G. Merritt