Stats:

Movie:
Waiting for Guffman

Stars:
Christopher Guest
Eugene Levy
Fred Willard
Parker Posey
Catherine O'Hara

Director:
Christopher Guest

Date: 1998

Bottom Line:
Highly Recommend

Waiting For Guffman

This is really funny! If you saw Spinal Tap, you'll like "Waiting for Guffman". Christopher Guest played Nigel Tuffnel in Spinal Tap, & Michael McKean & Harry Shearer co-wrote the songs in this movie although they do not appear as actors in this film. This is filmed as a mock documentary about the making of a hick historical pagent for 150th anniversary of the founding of Blaine, Missouri. The movie was co-wrote by Christopher Guest & Eugene Levy. Levy & Catherine O'Hara are alums of the old SCTV show. OK, enough about the background of this movie.

Everyone is so busy throwing their entire heart & soul into making this show work. The show is high point of their lives in this small town. The documentary treats the whole situation as if it were the most groundbreaking show in the history of theatre, although for the cast members & townspeople, it might as well be. Christopher Guest is a burned out 10th rate actor who's bombed out in off-off-off-off Broadway productions and is the director of the pagent. Eugene Levy is the town dentist who thinks he's the future of Yiddish Theatre in the Mid-west. Fred Willard & Catherine O'Hara are living the glamorous lives of travel agents who have never left the city limits of Blaine. Whenever anyone is interviewed, you can see that each person has blown things way out of proportion. For example, one of the town councilmembers gushes during intermission that because the director of the pagent can also act, sing & dance "...he can can do it all. And the only other person who is as talented is Barbara Striesand. He is just that good."

I highly recommend seeing this movie. It is hilarious. I had a really good time & couldn't stop laughing. If you wait to see this on video, you'll need to pay close attention or you'll miss alot of the jokes.