Film Reviews

For Your Consideration

• Rating:
• Director: Christopher Guest
• Starring: Catherine O'Hara
• Details: US / 86mins (12A).

Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner wrote one of the most popular comedies of all time, Spinal Tap, in 1984. But since then, Guest has collaborated with only Eugene Levy, a writer and actor who goes for the obvious gag every time, and his subsequent movies - Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show and A Mighty Wind - although always a joy to watch, have lacked the genius of his rock mockumentary. For his latest movie, For Your Consideration, a Hollywood parody set in and around the making of a movie, Guest ankles the mockumentary approach for more sprawling Robert Altman style, but it still looks like he's missing Rob Reiner's magic touch and maybe he should give Levy the brush for his next project. While shooting 'Home For Purim', a small, low-budget cheesy film, actress Marylin Hack's (O'Hara) performance is earmarked for an Oscar nomination. Soon, a buzz surrounds the film and the Hollywood beast is awakened. With the baton taken up by celebrity TV shows, the rumour mill goes into overdrive and O'Hara's co-star Victor Allen Miller's (Shearer) name is also rumoured to be in the running, quickly followed by another co-star Callie Webb (Parker Posey). The most disappointing aspect of For Your Consideration is that Guest and Levy went for the obvious jokes: they rip apart the vacuous, soulless egos working in Hollywood, which isn't the hardest thing to in the world to do - but we can see the gags coming from a mile off and are never surprised. Although not close to their previous outings, Guest's usual collection of actors do their best to make you laugh with every line, but for the first time in Guest's career he misses more than he hits. As the film heads up a bit of steam it gets funnier and funnier but never quite hilarious - maybe it'll be kinder with repeated viewing, as his movies are always up to another look.

Review by Gavin Burke