Waiting for Guffman

Rating:
Summary: A Must See for anyone involved with theatre.
Review: I've always been jealous of Christopher Guest... As a performer he played Nigel in SPINAL TAP, Harlan Pepper in BEST IN SHOW, Corky St Clair in WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, Count Rugen in THE PRINCESS BRIDE and several others. In each of these he is totally unrecognizable from the other. And on top of it all, he is married to Jamie Lee Curtis. With WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, Christopher Guest has again compiled some of the best improvisational actors to mount this homage to the 'muse of theatre'. Filled with wonderful comic insights and terrific improvisation (This type of movie is bad news for Screewriters), the movie is smart and funny. Corky is a transplanted Broadway no-name whose experience and understanding of the soft stuff bamboozles the small town of Blaine, MO. And to honor the 150th birthday of the town, he mounts a musical celebration. And to top it off, a Broadway Producer is going to be at the opening. The town shows its misguided excitement and the performers trust in the vision of Corky to bring them to the great white way... The performers are exceptional: Eugene Levy as the lazy eyed dentist, Parker Posey as the dancer/singer/Dairy Queen pusher, Fred Willard and Catherine O'Hara as the husband and wife acting and travel agent team (With O'Hara giving one of the greatest drunk scenes in film history), and Guest himself as the flaming glue. Bob Balaban has a supporting role as the jealous musical director and Michael Hitchcock is a scene stealer in his role as a town council member. So, if you've ever been involved in a community theatre production (or have seen one... or been involved in any community activity for that matter) this is a must see. Guest would again return to this format with his 'dogumentary' BEST IN SHOW, another enjoyable film but not to the same extent. The awesome DVD offers several deleted scenes as well as commentary by Guest and Levy. An enjoyable evening for the adults.

Rating:
Summary: I'm Waiting for Guffman
Review: It's the greatest movie ever made.

Rating:
Summary: One of the funniest films EVER!
Review: This is one of my Top 10 Favorite Films of all time. The DVD is incredible and the deleted scenes (34 minutes worth!)alone are worth far more than the price I paid for it. Thank God for Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy's comedic genius! I have read reviews from people who didn't like this film. How could anyone not find this ensemble cast hysterical? This Is Spinal Tap, Waiting For Guffman, and Best In Show are what a mockumentary should be. Absolute perfection! Thank you Castle Rock and Warner Home Video!! Christmas came about 4 months early this year!!! : )

Rating:
Summary: LEVY AND GUEST DO IT AGAIN...DEFINITELY BEST OF SHOW!
Review: Waiting For Guffman is hilarious through and through. With Parker Posey, Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest, Fred Willard and my fave Catherine O'Hara.

The movie takes place in a rural town where Guests character is making a musical that could hit Broadway?.....They do a casting call at the local high school where they find a band of characters with no talent for a musical ready for disaster.

Throughout this movie, Guffman is the character they are waiting for from New York on opening night - he could bring this musical to BROADWAY....enough said without spoiling the story.

A fun movie that deserved more attention from critics, and Americans abroad.

Rent it you'll love it.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the Wait..
Review: When I first discovered the magic of DVD...this was the one I salivated for. And it was worth the wait. The deleted scenes alone will make it worth the price. One interesting note to the deleted scenes is how drastically it would've changed the overall tone and feel of the film. But it is a true gem that MUST be added to your DVD collection.

If you haven't seen Guffman, run, don't walk, to see it. It's portrayal of small town culture AND community theater culture are painfully percise, yet celebrate these very mini-societies. Hilarious, touching, and terrific social commentary (is there anything more telling about the pathos of life than Libby and the barbeque'd chicken wing?) 'Guffman' is a fine piece of filmmaking.

Rating:
Summary: Permanently Clueless and Wonderful
Review: If you think in terms of laughs per dollar spent, this movie is very economical because it provides laughs on many different levels. First, the jokes are funny in themselves. Who can forget Guest's character developing a dance routine? Then it is funny making fun of making fun of these characters and their situations (the trials and tribulations of community theater in general). And then I find it even funnier as a metaphor for the ridiculous in just getting by in life doing the best we can while thinking we might actually know something (thinking some bit time outsider can really change your life and who you are).

This is a movie about the Permanently Clueless in each of us and I love it. It is a classic that is worth seeing again and again. There aren't many comedies that really hold up over time. This does (as do other Guest films).

Knowing that the dialogue is largely improvised makes me even more in awe of the actors and their ability to come up with this wonderfully weird stuff.

Rating:
Summary: We are not alone!
Review: I am guessing that if you are reading this review you have already seen "Waiting", as we refer to it in our house. We're junkies and it's good to know we're not alone.

One word of caution for those who are just discovering the Christopher Guest films - once you're hooked, be careful about who you show the film to. A few years ago, my husband and I were hosting our first Thanksgiving dinner with both sides of the family over. We forced our families (some of whom were much older - like 70+) to watch it. wWhile we were rolling on the floor in laughter our guests were just in the absorption stage of viewing and laughed more at my husband's and my laughter than anything else. Later, I made my dad and sister watch it again and sure enough they were hooked too. My point is, it takes a couple of viewings to begin to fully appreciate the subtle but gut wrenching humor of these films. Now the entire family teases us about our addiction.

Needless to say, we have been counting the days until it came out on DVD! I'm already worried about the dilemma I face when it arrives. Do I wait to see the deleted sceens until my husband arrives home from the office? Or do I sneak a peak? I just don't know if I can resist!

Rating:
Summary: Guest is the Best
Review: How Leonard Maltin can call this "slight but amusing" is beyond me. This is a classic comedy film. You can watch this over and over and find something new to laugh at each time. The cast is wonderful top to bottom. Go out and buy this one.

Rating:
Summary: Extremely Funny... if you're not a normal person
Review: If you consider yourself 'normal' with 'average' taste, forget it. For instance, if you like big blockbuster type movies like "Planet of the Apes" or "Terminator" or "American Pie" then this movie will make you roll your eyes.

If you liked Spinal Tap, you should like this one a lot. I, personally like it better than 'Tap, because I just LOVE CORKY ST.CLAIR!! If I were gay, and you know that I'm not, I would most DEFINITELY go out with Corky St. Clair. I might go out with Harvey Fierstien too, if he promised not to talk too much about his mother. If you thought the last two sentences were even remotely funny, then you might like "Waiting For Guffman."

Rating:
Summary: I'll be brief.
Review: This film is significantly funnier than, BEST IN SHOW, and BEST IN SHOW is significantly funnier than plenty of other so called comedies. I have a feeling BEST IN SHOW was seen by a larger audience, if you are amongst them and have not seen WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, you don't know what you are missing.