Caffeinated Clint
There just hasn’t been enough thought or pre-planning gone into the movie – Considering Ricky Gervais, the star of the similar-themed TV series “Extras” co-stars in the movie, you’d think he might’ve been able to slip Guest some suggestions on-set…
Bob Balaban, Ed Begley, Jr., Jennifer Coolidge, Paul Dooley, Ricky Gervais, Christopher Guest, Rachael Harris, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Don Lake, Eugene Levy, Jane Lynch, Michael McKean, Larry Miller, Christopher Moynihan, Catherine O’Hara, Jim Piddock, Parker Posey, Harry Shearer, Deborah Theaker, Fred Willard
Sex. Once you’ve done it, you’ll wanna keep on doing it. It doesn’t much matter whether you’re any good at it either – because, well, three quarters of the world are in the same boat. Filmmaker Christopher Guest – renowned for his highly improvisational all-star comedies – considers his mockumentarries (“Waiting for Guffman”, “Best in Show”, “A Mighty Wind”) to be intercourse. Might feel OK to him, but for us, first time was great, second time wasn’t quite as good, and every time since has been a bit of a letdown. He can’t seem to stop and he doesn’t plan on doing so anytime soon.
His latest sardonic mock (though this one takes more of a narrative approach), “For Your Consideration”, won’t exactly having you creaming with excitement, but like bumpin’ uglies with a hotel floozie, it sure passes the time alright. But one of these days, we’re going to want more, right?
A film that’s full of opportunities, but fails to make use of them, “Consideration” is set around the world of film and television stars – in this case, the B-grade stars of an upcoming movie; all of whom, at one time or another, are receiving early Oscar ‘buzz’ – which could be merely one guy in an internet chat room, or some guy on a little-watched TV morning show’s suggestion – for their performances in the movie.
As nomination announcement day nears closer, the fight between the cast becomes more ferocious. (Cue jokes about impulsive plastic surgery, actors mass-marketing themselves to unfamiliar terrain – like MTV – and agents riding on the coat-tails of an actor while they’re hot).
It’s fantastic to see Guest’s regular cast – Eugene Levy (also the co-writer of the script), Jim Piddock, Ed Begley Jr, Parker Posey, Michael McKean, Jennifer Coolidge, Catherine O’Hara, Harry Shearer; and so on – back together, and there are some funny moments (mostly thanks to the always-terrific Fred Willard; here playing a zany ‘Entertainment Tonight’ style TV host), but there’s something not afoot here.
There just hasn’t been enough thought or pre-planning gone into the movie – Considering Ricky Gervais, the star of the similar-themed TV series “Extras” co-stars in the movie, you’d think he might’ve been able to slip Guest some suggestions on-set… but like the audience, the British comic, probably presumed he’d be in good hands? – and most notably, the characters just aren’t as interesting or as amusing to watch as they have been in Guest’s previous pics. In retrospect, the filmmaker forgot to give everyone a good part – and instead, seems to have just been intent with ‘squeezing’ them all in.
Not bad, but won’t win any Awards.
Extras include an amusing-enough commentary by writer/director Christopher Guest and writer/actor Eugene Levy; over half-an-hour of deleted scenes (what a bore); some mock posters of the film-within-the-film, and the trailer.
Rating : 
Reviewer : Clint Morris
