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The Big Picture

The Big Picture

List Price: $24.95
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My wife is from Ohio
Review: The story of a young award winner of a filmmaker's competition going through the trials and tribulations of trying to get "his" first feature film made is given a wonderful treatment by Christopher(Spinal Tap)Guest. It's a cynical and hysterical look at how Hollywood is bent and how it can make anyone bend and eventually submit to its neurosis.

Unlike many of favorable reviewers I'm not a fan of Christopher Guest's later works and that's not just because I'm envious of him being married to Jamie Leigh Curtis(lucky dog). I don't find Guffman or Best of Show more than mildly amusing at best. Save for Bob Balaban in Guffman(When Sparky comes back, I almost bust a gut).

Sometimes artists do their best work up front. I like Woody Allen's first three pictures the best(What's Up Tiger Lily, Take the Money and Run, Bananas). I think this is the case here. Guest hit gold. Great script, terrific performances by an incredible ensemble cast. A near genius(I'm gonna steal one of the other reviewer's word here because it's so perfect, kudos and thanks) "turn" by JT Walsh(alas, another "great" dying so soon before his time like Warren Oates and Robert Shaw). Fabulous work by Martin Short, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dan Schneider, Jason Gould, Wakter Olkewicz and seriously I could keep writing names for another 5 or 6 lines. There are tons of people in this sublime comedy.

Its only drawbacks are that it has the misgivings of be made in the Eighties with all its trappings and a rather sloppy reunion scene(Bacon/McKean)that comes off as way too cloying. Other than that this is a rare comic treat for anyone who can see the cynical side of Hollywood.

Someone said comparing this to The Player was like comparing Bagger Vance to Caddyshack. I'm not quite sure which one is suppose to be good and which is suppose to be sub-par. Caddyshack is a classic and so The Big Picture. I am a big, big fan of Altman and The Big Picture is even par with The Player. If either were more biting I would give the nod to The Big Picture. Though, Richard E Grant's performance is almost as good as Walsh's.

Nick's(Kevin Bacon)flights of fancy are hysterical. This is an inspired and unfortunately one-of-a-kind comedy.


Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great Little Picture
Review: This is a great comedy, with lots of memorable turns by some great comic actors. I see a reviewer below comparing this to "The Player" and that's a ridiculous comparison. That would be like comparing "Bagger Vance" to "Caddyshack". There are some signifigant lulls in this movie but overall it's a funny peek at the all too shallow Hollywood existence. Bacon is great, as is McKeon in a bit of a subdued performance by his standards, and Teri Hatcher has never been sexier....and that's saying something indeed. Her performance fueled many a teenage dream of mine back in the day.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Awesome, awesome film
Review: This is an awesome movie. You have to see this one. If you liked "Waiting For Guffman" and/or "Spinal Tap". You should see this. Brought to you by the same dude, King Christopher Guest.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Quirky, satiric, but, ultimately, thin
Review: This oddball send-up of Hollywood begins when Nick (Kevin Bacon) wins a prestigious award for his expressionist student film. He becomes an instant "hot property" wooed by top agents and producers. Predictably, he gets sucked into his own hype and the glitz of Hollywood at the expense of friendships and love. What makes this film unusual is the cast of supporting characters, played by Fran Drescher, Martin Short, Teri Hatcher, J.T. Walsh, and Michael McKean. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays an irrepressibly surreal classmate who has a wacky but always optimistic view on life; her performance is one of the best in the film. Unfortunately, Emily Longstreth, who plays Nick's love interest, is old-fashioned and subdued, and has little chemistry with Kevin Bacon.

Some of the scenes verge on the hilarious in their refreshing weirdness. Even the music is quirky, with Jennifer Jason Leigh's theme song sounding like a carnival in a fever dream. The fantasy sequences mostly fall flat, however, and the screenplay doesn't go far enough to elevate the film above the stale premise. I can understand why this is a cult movie, though, since some of the scenes/costumes/characters are so over-the-top that they become unforgettable. It's a shame Christopher Guest couldn't hold it all together.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Quirky, satiric, but, ultimately, thin
Review: This oddball send-up of Hollywood begins when Nick (Kevin Bacon) wins a prestigious award for his expressionist student film. He becomes an instant "hot property" wooed by top agents and producers. Predictably, he gets sucked into his own hype and the glitz of Hollywood at the expense of friendships and love. What makes this film unusual is the cast of supporting characters, played by Fran Drescher, Martin Short, Teri Hatcher, J.T. Walsh, and Michael McKean. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays an irrepressibly surreal classmate who has a wacky but always optimistic view on life; her performance is one of the best in the film. Unfortunately, Emily Longstreth, who plays Nick's love interest, is old-fashioned and subdued, and has little chemistry with Kevin Bacon.

Some of the scenes verge on the hilarious in their refreshing weirdness. Even the music is quirky, with Jennifer Jason Leigh's theme song sounding like a carnival in a fever dream. The fantasy sequences mostly fall flat, however, and the screenplay doesn't go far enough to elevate the film above the stale premise. I can understand why this is a cult movie, though, since some of the scenes/costumes/characters are so over-the-top that they become unforgettable. It's a shame Christopher Guest couldn't hold it all together.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Quirky, satiric, but, ultimately, thin
Review: This oddball send-up of Hollywood begins when Nick (Kevin Bacon) wins a prestigious award for his expressionist student film. He becomes an instant "hot property" wooed by top agents and producers. Predictably, he gets sucked into his own hype and the glitz of Hollywood at the expense of friendships and love. What makes this film unusual is the cast of supporting characters, played by Fran Drescher, Martin Short, Teri Hatcher, J.T. Walsh, and Michael McKean. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays an irrepressibly surreal classmate who has a wacky but always optimistic view on life; her performance is one of the best in the film. Unfortunately, Emily Longstreth, who plays Nick's love interest, is old-fashioned and subdued, and has little chemistry with Kevin Bacon.

Some of the scenes verge on the hilarious in their refreshing weirdness. Even the music is quirky, with Jennifer Jason Leigh's theme song sounding like a carnival in a fever dream. The fantasy sequences mostly fall flat, however, and the screenplay doesn't go far enough to elevate the film above the stale premise. I can understand why this is a cult movie, though, since some of the scenes/costumes/characters are so over-the-top that they become unforgettable. It's a shame Christopher Guest couldn't hold it all together.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I'd heard about this movie for years, but...
Review: We have always been a great fans of Teri Hatcher - the local gal that made it - so when this film first came out, a big group of us went to see the movie in San Francisco.

What we had heard though, is that this film was stalled - much like the context of the movie - the background story was that Dawn Steele didn't like the ribbing she got in the movie, so Steele gave the movie very little distribution and little chance of success.

But the good thing is that you can never underestimate the public. This movie has developed a wonderful following on videotape and premium channels like HBO.

I give it five stars!

~Valerie

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This was Teri Hatcher's first film
Review: We have always been a great fans of Teri Hatcher - the local gal that made it - so when this film first came out, a big group of us went to see the movie in San Francisco.

What we had heard though, is that this film was stalled - much like the context of the movie - the background story was that Dawn Steele didn't like the ribbing she got in the movie, so Steele gave the movie very little distribution and little chance of success.

But the good thing is that you can never underestimate the public. This movie has developed a wonderful following on videotape and premium channels like HBO.

I give it five stars!

~Valerie

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An Strong Funny Spoof on Hollywood.
Review: Wehn a Young Filmmaker (Kevin Bacon) win a Prize for his Short Bizarre Film. When he`s about to go Big Time in the Film Industry but He finds Himself thoroughly Corrupted by the Temtpations of Hollywood.

Directed by Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman, Almost Heroes, Best in Show) is a Clever, Well-Written Satire. Guest Co-Written the film with actor:Micheal McKean-Who has a Supporting Role. The Film`s Stand-Out (Cameo) Performance in this, is from Actor:Martin Short as a Wacked-Out Agent. This Extremely Underrated Comedy has become a Cult Classic. A Well Made Film. Grade:A-.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: I'd heard about this movie for years, but...
Review: When this movie came on, I started out hating it, mainly due to the annoying theme/background music, but as the movie progressed I tried to ignore the music and grew to enjoy the movie's largely realistic depiction of Hollywood. "The Big Picture" was very funny -- in spurts, but the ending did seem contrived. Many of the fantasy sequences (aside from the ones concerning how Nick saw his movie in his head) were silly and gave the movie a "cutesy" tone that set my teeth on edge.


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