Genres

Visitors Review

Bruce 2012-05-23 04:02:20

considerate, not

I took my wife to this movie, I sat there watching it for about 20 min. and started thinking to myself, is this going anywhere?I had this same thought a few more times before my wife started to say something, I helped her finish the sentence with her, boring, we walked out an agonozing 55 min. later.

2012-05-22 12:44:20

Not a Sequel...

It can be easy to review a film (or any media) based on what you've expected from an artist's previous work. To do so can cause one to miss out on what makes a work of art unique. To pan "For Your Consideration" beacuse it's not like Guest's other work is to miss the point of why he (or anyone) makes films."For Your Consideration" does move away from the pure comedy we're used to in Guest's previous stories (although he hints at some pathos in "A Mighty WInd"). There's plenty to laugh at here, but I'm in no way disappointed that he made me stop and take a hard look at myself and at the culture I'm a part of in this film. He doesn't owe me a bucket of chuckles in every minute of every film he makes. I was quite surprised at where this film takes the viewer emotionally. However, it only works if said viewer is willing to go there...Having stated that, what I enjoy and revel in in his films are the deep characters portrayed in them. They make us cringe because we know people like these in our own lives. These rich characters are here in plenty in this film, and my wife and I found ourselves grinning as we recognized faces of actors we thought we knew portraying NEW people that we both loved and wanted to mock but couldn't because they were too real, and yes, a bit sad. A bit of American Idol auditions without the glitz, packaging and over-the-top commentary from the judges.I dunno. Decide for yourself. Let the movie, not your expectation, speak for itself.

2012-05-14 14:32:16

This One Falls Short - Please Get Back to Basics!

I've seen all of the Christopher Guest movies and even own them on DVD. They are cleverly written and always funny; however, this movie falls far short of my expectations. Believe me, I am someone who "gets" Christopher Guest's humor. "For Your Consideration" simply lacks the humor, style and character of his previous films. I got the feeling that what was once a close-knit group of semi-indy style actors, is now more commercial and Hollywoodish. My advice to Mr. Guest would be: please get back to basics.

reddpill 2012-05-14 04:01:35

No Oscars here

For Your Consideration continues with the same talented group ofwriters and actors that have produced the wonderful mockumentaries Thisis Spinal Tap, Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind.Unfortunately, they fail to pull it off this time.There are some good scenes, such as Catherine O'Hara's morning-afterinterview on failing to get her Oscar nomination. There are also fineperformances, particularly with Harry Shearer, and the dead-on riff onHollywood gossip shows delivered by show hosts Fred Willard and JaneLynch. O'Hara is good through much of the film, but in the last halfseems to be doing her imitation of Jennifer Coolidge with her too-tightsmile and over-applied lipstick. This works much better for Coolidgethan for O'Hara.The show might have benefited from better editing (the final scene withParker Posey being noticeably too long, for example), and talentedactors like Richard Kind, Sandra Oh, and Paul Dooley were relegated tocameos. Kind in particular could have added some laughs that wereall-too few in this effort. Christopher Guest & company can give --indeed have given -- far better entertainment than that provided byFYC.

Anonymous 2012-05-13 08:50:14

Still very good

Let's face it - this is not Guest's best work, but it is better than virtually every comedy that comes out these days. I concur with an earlier reviewer on this point! The performances were, as usual, amazing. Also, to the reviewer who slammed the movie and hasn't even seen it (rickschoen2000) - shame on you! I feel bad for people who don't find these movies funny...

2012-05-12 19:01:16

Major Disappointment

This is hardly a skewer folks. This is a mean-spirited snippy and childish attack. I was quite disappointed, for like most of the reviewers here, I had enjoyed Guest's previous films, though to my mind Best in Show was the most enjoyable and Waiting for Guffman a bit malicious and snide. But this just lays a whopper of an egg. Generally unfunny, tedious, and mean, it feels like payback rather than satire.There is no humor. Sure there's a funny moment here and there, but every one seems to think too much of themselves, with Ricky Gervais especially cocksure and irritating as he plays David Brent all over again. But the expected lampoon of Hollywood and award shows never materialized. There was nothing about Academy Awards, just the intense laughing at feeble and vapid people wishing for recognition in a world where that is the only measure of success. No redeeming characters, just selfish self-absorbed bores. Not worth paying attention to.The cast performs admirably, with, not Catherine O'Hara, but Harry Shearer most worthy of recognition. He makes the lack of material not quite so noticeable when he is on screen. But this is one of those movies where you see all the things that were supposed to be funny, the former weiner man as a potential award nominee, the sleazy money lady, the "suits" who get the movie's name changed, the creepy little agent who lies and inflates, the ignorant, pompous host, and the ventriloquist weathergal, all these laugh riots in discussion turn into a big yawn on the screen. The longest 80 minute movie I've endured.

jonpine 2012-05-09 03:02:33

Disappointed Guest Fan

I thoroughly enjoyed "A Mighty Wind," "Best in Show" and "Waiting forGuffman," and of course, "This is Spinal Tap" is a classic. But I wasleft limp with this one.I seem to be in the minority on this, at least among Guest's usual fanbase. Yes, it's probably even more of an inside joke this time, but Iknow enough about the movie business to get the jokes -- I just didn'tFIND many jokes.This film seemed more scripted than the others, less improvised, andmaybe that's what's missing. It's basically the same brilliant cast,but maybe the collaboration was somehow reduced or discouraged thistime. I dunno...I only managed a few chuckles, and maybe three outright guffaws. Iactually saw about a dozen people walk out about 30 minutes into thescreening.

national_bouton-1 2012-05-08 09:24:36

MISS & HIT (from yesterday's T.I.F.F. screening).

I was at yesterday's lunchtime screening of FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.Needless to say, after three incredible pictures one's expectations fora Guest/Levy et al creation have grown pretty high. The firstoff-putting thing about this one is the jettisoning of the mockuformat. I have gotten awfully used to the characters confessing theirinnermost feelings directly to the camera that it was weird watchingthem just interact with each other.The broadness of the writing and some of the playing hasn't bothered mein the previous films, which dealt with worlds that I'm not terriblyfamiliar with. But since we are surrounded with film and film-industryephemera, a lot of the satirical jabs seemed scattershot.I never really knew who exactly the characters were. Exactly where inthe constellation did Catherine O'Hara's star shine? (And why did theygive her the overloaded moniker of Margaret Hack?) Did Harry Shearer'sguy have any claim to fame other than the Wiener commercial? What hadGuest's director done beforehand? Was Parker Posey's comedy backgroundmentioned before we saw that overlong piece of her act (which waseerily reminiscent of her "Red, White & Blaine" audition "monologue").And exactly how low-level a movie ever would've had posters like theones Richard Kind and Sandra Oh were proferring? And why wasn't theresome difference between the look of HOME FOR PURIM (courtesy of BritishD.O.P. Jim Piddock) and the palette of FOR YOUR....? On the plus side,I loved John Michael Higgins' bizarre press agent, who must be based onsomeone real, since I can't imagine anyone conceiving that character. Iliked the guy who played the brother (he doesn't seem to be credited onthe IMDb page: is it Chirstopher Moynihan?). And Rachael Harris makesme scream. She is great as Parker Posey's "friend".Guest bristled at the Q&A when a woman suggested that the vanities ofHollywood narcissism were perhaps a little overdone, but I kinda agree.If satire is what they're going for, they aimed awfully wide for mytastes.

Jacobi1 2012-05-07 13:52:51

There Is Nothing Really Special About This Movie!

For Your Consideration **Christopher Guest has made some great mockumentaries like Waiting ForGuffman, Best In Show, and A Mighty Wind. In For Your Consideration,you can tell that Guest is tired out. For Your Consideration goes fortiresome laughs and the audiences are suppose to sit there and laugh. Iwas laughing all right, but I was laughing at the sadness the moviebrings out to the screen. The movie is not as funny as I thought itwould be and is a major disappointment.Christopher Guest plays, you guessed it, a director making hisdirectorial debut. The movie he is directing is entitles "Home ForPurim" which honestly sounds more interesting than this movie. As themovie progresses, the actors and actresses are interviewed by variouspeople who honestly look like they cannot believe what they arewitnessing. When award buzz start to circulate, it gets to three actorsheads. One of them is Marilyn Hack played by Catherine O'Hara who maybethe only good thing in this movie. Another good thing about this movieis Jennifer Coolidge who honestly plays the same character like inother Guest's movies, but she has a certain charm that you have toadmire her in some way.The biggest dead weight in the movie is not just the writing, but alsoFred Willard. What was his character and was in necessary to have thischaracter in this movie. Fred Willard is so dull that I was literallyplanning what I was going to do next year. Sounds Fimiliar? It does tome.All in all, there is nothing really special about For YourConsideration. It literally felt that Guest ran out of material anddecided to recycle material from Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show, andA Mighty Wind. For Your Consideration is tired from start to finish andmakes a good movie if you have trouble sleeping. That is really whatthe movie is worth

paul2001sw-1 2012-05-07 01:52:11

Same formula, still fun

Christopher Guest can seem like a one trick pony, with hisdocumentary-style films (indeed, his most famous one actually pretendedto be a documentary) about about ensembles of losers with pretensions.But his trademark combination of pointed writing and understatedperformance can be very funny. An actor in 'This is Spinal Tap', he nowdirects: 'For Your Consideration' tells the story of a low budget moviethat unexpected gets considered for an Oscar. This premise allows Guestfree rein to mock not just his characters' individual sensitivities,but also their shambolic film and the whole way the entertainmentindustry works. As with most of Guest's work, it gets funnier as itgoes on, and one becomes familiar with the interior logic of the worldhe has created. Ricky Gervais turns up at one point, and fits in veryeasily. A short movie, it leaves you wanting more.

kmoore91 2012-05-04 02:06:33

For Your Reconsideration

A fair amount of people have expressed disappointment with FYC. I thinkit has to do more with people expecting the usual mockumentary ratherthan the actual quality of the movie. FYC is more a spoof(conventionally filmed and scripted) than a mockumentary (free-wheelingand improvised) of the Hollywood awards engine. The only problem I hadwith the film was that it didn't have or say anything that we haven'tseen before. There have been lots of movies and TV shows that havetread these same waters. Ironically, Ricky Gervais-who plays one of the"suits" who insists on making "Home for Purim" more appealing to awider audience, stars in "Extras", a cable show that mocks/spoofs thevery same show biz artifice! "30 Rock" and "Studio 60 on the SunsetStrip" are current examples of the genre that rips on network programs.So, FYC IS a good movie-just don't go in expecting what you are used tofrom Team Guest.

colberino 2012-05-03 12:33:23

Heart-wrenchingly disappointing

I'm a gigantic "Waiting for Guffman" fan. I also really liked "Best InShow." I thought "A Mighty Wind," while not great, was creative andtender. I saw "For Your Consideration" today and while there were funnymoments peppered throughout, the film comes off as half-baked. I satthere until the last credit rolled trying to like this film, andcouldn't.I appreciate that so many actors have joined up with Guest to be in hismovies, but there are now so many Guest "regulars" that there is barelyany character development. "A Mighty Wind" tried to remedy this bygiving each character one big quirk. "Consideration" seems to use thistactic sparingly... both a blessing and a curse. What I miss is theintimacy of "Guffman," where we got to know 5-6 characters very well."Consideration" comes off less as an ensemble cast, and more as a longstring of cameos.Catherine O'Hara gives a brilliant, nuanced performance~ I wish we hadgotten to know more about her character.*Definitely spoilers here!* As other reviewers have pointed out,"Consideration" has a very similar ending to "Guffman." But whereas theending of "Guffman" is somewhat bemusing (Corky talking about hisshop), I thought the ending of "Consideration" was cruel, predictable,and saddening.

2012-05-03 02:38:02

So much to enjoy!

After reading quite a few disappointing reviews of this film, I felt less and less in a hurry to go and see it, even though I am a big Christopher Guest fan. But boy, am I glad I finally did buy a copy! Even if it feels a bit sketchy in places, every scene is a joy to watch, and the outtakes on the DVD are easily as good as anything that did make the final cut. Christopher Guest generously gives each member of his wonderful cast at least one scene to shine, and shine they do. Much has been said about Catherine O'Hara's performance, and she IS wonderful, both heartbreaking and hilarious as the character actress who gets bitten by the Oscar-bug. Fred Willard and the wonderful Jane Lynch are absolutely hysterical as the morning-tv show hosts from hell, who aren't that far away from anything we actually see on tv every day. As with all good satire, it feels like you are watching a documentary. When you see Catherine O'Hara's character watching the oscar nominees being read out on tv, waiting for her own name to be mentioned, you realise: that's what it actually must be like for these actresses! So, all in all, perhaps not Christopher Guest's most solid film, but I assure you, if you have liked his work before, you are going to love this one. I certainly did!

Mike White 2012-05-02 17:33:48

not a Guest film that I'll be watching again soon

A return to THE BIG PICTURE by way of WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, ChristopherGuest's FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION is more of a pure narrative thanadlibbed mockumentary. A film within a film a la AND GOD SPOKE orLIVING IN OBLIVION, it's obvious that some of the scenes rely on actorsadlibbing (Jennifer Coolidge's scenes feel the most so) but others havebeen completely "locked down" and shot as a traditional (albeit flatlylit) film. The inner narrative, HOME FOR PURIM, sounds as if it were penned by EdBegley Junior's character from A MIGHTY WIND as it's peppered with outof place Yiddish. HOME FOR PURIM exacerbates the "sore thumb" phrasesby putting them in the mouths of a 1940s Southern family. Think BlancheDubois going meshuge or KATS ON A HOT TIN DAKH. We follow theproduction of HOME FOR PURIM, joining it already in progress. Here wesee the cast's dynamics and how they change when the film gets an earlyOscar buzz.With appearances by Guest's regulars (along with a few notablenewcomers such as Ricky Gervais and Rachel Harris), I didn't findmyself getting too invested in any of the characters, even leading ladyCatherine O'Hara. There are some great moments in FOR YOURCONSIDERATION but it's not a Guest film that I'll be watching againsoon.

2012-04-25 22:08:55

Gets Better with Each Viewing

At first viewing I though no, this is by far not Christopher Guest's best work to date. I felt that would remain WAITING FOR GUFFMAN. But on subsequent viewings, I've changed my mind. This is a brilliant film. The fact that it's painted in subtler tones than the earlier Guest/Levy films could perhaps color one's opinion. There are some funny things and there are some amusing things and very, very little that misfires.Catherine O'Hara is particularly touching as a has-been who is given false hope for a comeback. Harry Shearer, ditto as a never-was. Parker Posey is the wannabe who pretends it means nothing but ditches her boyfriend because he KNOWS it means nothing. (The fact that he's the only one who does get a nomination is delicious irony.) And typically of Christopher Guest films, everyone who builds up hope eventually gets those hopes dashed at the end when a splash of cold reality hits them in the face.I highly recommend this to anyone who loves films about Hollywood. It ties in nicely with Guest's early and forgotten THE BIG PICTURE, q.v., and is a welcome addition to the growing and brilliant collection of films Guest/Levy & company have been turning out for the past dozen years or so.You'll have to excuse me now. I'm going to go watch it again!

John DeSando 2012-04-25 16:58:36

Most of the time tired . . . .

"Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discovereverybody's face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kindof reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offendedwith it." Jonathan Swift Whenever I review a film, I put out my sensors for the "buzz," oftenfrom Sundance, that mysterious rumor cloud praising or damning a filmmost people haven't seen, much less those doing the praising ordamning. Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration satirizes thissubtle form of marketing or sabotage, sometimes spot-on funny, but mostof the time tired.After all, Hollywood has had such a considerable share ofself-referential jokes about its "system" that so many of us fail tosee uniqueness in the same old, same old. However, I was certainlyamused in For Your Consideration by the take on the film critic duo,whose obligatory disagreements turn them into mush when they have toagree (Clay Lowe and I have had such moments on our radio show, "It'sMovie Time" ).The spoofs here of Larry Sanders, Entertainment Tonight (Fred Ward isappropriately obnoxious as an acerbic, dull-witted co-host), and mostlocal entertainment TV shows are funny, much more so than the weak setup, which went too long showing scenes from the indie Home for Purim,later called Home for Thanksgiving. It's a lame family drama that getsthe Oscar buzz although it would never have qualified on its ownmerits, or for that matter been made.Guest himself has made far more incisive and humorous films about egosand obsessive compulsions, such as Mighty Wind and Best of Show.Hollywood is always ripe for spoofing-- it's just that creative mindssuch as Guest's need to take a different angle or perhaps a strongerlight, in the spirit of the cinematographer for Home for Thanksgiving,who says when asked to heighten the key: "It's brighter than StephenHawking in here." That's the kind of bright I mean.

linkinem41 2012-04-22 05:40:47

Why dint the Oscar society really really consider Catherine O' Hara!!

Just saw it and thought this movie wasn't really craft full ormasterfully made...yet...it pretty much sums up to be a fun movie. Thescreenplay and the story is pretty good. Well this movie almost doesnot seem like a movie. It's like a movie inside a movie.The Performance by O'Hara is just Super GOOD. The scene where shebreaks down was so TOP NOTCH.Though nothing surprising happens in the movie, it manages to capturesome of the Oscar moments.This movie is pretty much centered on the Oscar awards of 2007. It isalso funny showing how these people are changing with the buzz of thereOscar nominations out.All in all, an unexpectedly good film. 7.5/10

mswatsoninc 2012-04-21 07:09:54

Resting on Laurels and Jumping the Shark

How can it be so that I'm giving a Christopher Guest film a "6" insteadof driving to my friends' homes and demanding they go see it? It's asad day in my world, I must admit.Funny? Yes...and no.Mockumentary is refreshing, hysterical, and--whether it chooses to beor not--thought provoking. It's trademark Guest, and usually, veryrewarding. "A Mighty Wind" was funny. I guess I say that because Iwanted it to be. After "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best in Show," Iprobably gave it more credit than credit was due, but, I still likedthe style, while, the the case of "Wind," the laughs were fewer,quieter, and farther between.Now we have "For Your Consideration," which, although it had that 'raw'feel to it, abandoned the whole 'crew member cashing in' aspect to it.There was no mockumentary here--opting to instead use a pressagent--ditsy and blonde--to attempt to give it the same edge. Thebeauty of a Guest film is that you imagine while you're watching thatsome underachiever is trying to break through with "important work" bypacking a camcorder and following nobodies trying to get their fifteenminutes. It's like pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving--the added aspect thatyou appreciate, but, don't base the meal around intentionally."Consideration" forgot about how important the dessert is.Fred Williard and Jennifer Coolidge are, to me, inherently funny. Yousee them, you laugh. Williard is the ultra-stud, over the hill,drinks-too-much friend your father never had. Coolidge is the buxomblonde puppet that you expect to say anything, while at the same timelaughing at the fact that she has no clue how funny she is. For thefirst time in a Guest film, he relied on an actor's presence ratherthan their material. Most of the laughs started before you heard themsay a word.On the flip side, what could have been a knock off character was madevery human by Catherine O'Hara. Marilyn Hack was a tragic soul, so muchso that her plastic surgery and lack of a nomination made me, as anaudience member, sad. O'Hara is the definite standout. It's pity forthe character that actually made me feel sorry for her, but, I shouldhave laughed about it. I'm not used to tragedy in a Guest film thatdoesn't come with a laugh. And, the fact that Guest chose to furthermake fun of the lack of excellence with the 'follow up' interviewsafter the Oscar nominations snub made me think that he doubted his ownbrilliance. If you don't know whether to laugh or cry, then, whatyou've created is pretty damn good. We go to his films on the same pageas he is--don't recap the obvious. Don't paint the peacock.O'Hara's performance--arguably Oscar worthy--is the reason I can't saythat I hated the film. It's weird when a standout performance makes afilm you wanted to love, but, painfully didn't, forces you to like thevehicle more than you should have. O'Hara probably won't getrecognized, but, it's the only reason that I could recommend this filmto Guest fans with any degree of endorsement.

billybobwashere 2012-04-19 11:14:32

Guffman's take on Hollywood is all you could ask for.

If you have ever seen a Christopher Guest film, you will know exactlywhat to expect from his latest work. What it consists of is his troupeof elite improvisational comedians all playing small parts in onebigger picture, each having their own quirkiness and oddities, each ofthem supplying you with enough laughs to keep you going as long as thefilm does. "For Your Consideration" is a complete send-up of what buzz(online, ironically) can do to change everyone's perspective on a film,and on himself or herself.Although nobody is on-screen for more than twenty to twenty-fiveminutes, if there was a "lead" for this ensemble work, it would have tobe Catherine O'Hara in the best work of her career. She plays MarilynHack, an elderly actress who is not used to publicity and who has neverbeen glamorous or gorgeous in the way that most celebrities are. She isone of the leads in Jay Berman's (Christopher Guest) drama called "Homefor Purim." In this film, she plays a chronically ill mother wantingher daughter to come home before she dies, but when her daughter doescome home, she discovers that she has a female lover, making thingseven worse.Anyone who knows anything about film can tell that this overlydramatized and extremely- stereotypical-of-Jews picture would make adisaster of a film in real life, but thanks to somebody sneaking on setand proclaiming that he smells Oscar nominations in favor for thisfilm, everybody involved in the film tries to do things differently toprepare it for its much-anticipated release. The studio executives evengo so far as to, when wanting to draw audiences outside the Jewishcommunity, ask for the film's title to be changed to "Home forThanksgiving," a holiday film that you don't have to believe in the TenCommandments to enjoy. It needs to "tone down the Jewish-NESS," as theyput it.Here, we see how a little bit of buzz completely changes who some ofthese people are, as Marilyn Hack goes from a shy, unglamorous woman toan outgoing, "sexy" female who has had a ridiculous number of facelifts since receiving buzz for her film. As all this happens, we arefaced with hundreds of very clever wisecracks about the film industryas well as many other forms of entertainment such as the internet andmovie talk shows (Fred Willard and Jane Lynch are perfect imitations ofthis in their morning show "Wake Up, Los Angeles!"). Basically, if youenjoy Christopher Guest's style of having simple set-ups and puttingwacky characters in a bound-to-go-wrong situation, you are definitelygoing to enjoy this film.This is not quite at the level of humor that his masterpiece "Best inShow" reached, but I can firmly state that it is funnier than his othertwo works, which are "Waiting for Guffman" and "A Mighty Wind." It isnot aimed to be grand comedy with hilarious slapstick humor (for it hasnone of that), but for a great bit of irony and a mockery of a form ofAmerican culture, "For Your Consideration" is all that you could askfor. I also hope to see Catherine O'Hara land a Best Supporting Actressnomination, for it was definitely deserving of one.Summary: One of the year's funniest films with great ensemble work anda very cute and clever touch. It is also a film that people who didn'tlove Guest's other work could enjoy more because the humor isn't assubtle as it is in his other work.

edwagreen 2012-04-19 01:38:51

For Your Consideration-How Dumb Can You Get ?*

A truly awful film depicting what goes on during the making of a filmas well as Oscar time.We've seen ideas like this before with Maggie Smith in "CaliforniaSuite" and Stephen Boyd in 1966's "The Oscar." However, these filmswere far superior to this nonsense.That stupid film "Home for Purim" is so obnoxious because the Jewishplayers are anything but Jewish. We could have sung when Irish eyes aresmiling. Note that due to political correctness, the name of the filmwas changed to "Home for Thanksgiving."The good part of the film was showing what happens when the supposedstars don't get the Oscar nominations and literally fade into oblivion.Until that point is made, the film is useless.