For Your Consideration
Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer, Parker Posey; Directed by Christopher Guest
Marian Hack (Catherine O'Hara) doesn't think much of her newest role in the movie Home for Purim. In it she plays an elderly matriarch with a terminal illness, forced to face her feelings of failure as a parent after a confrontation with her daughter. Knowing that actresses her age are becoming more and more prone to getting these made-for-TV Lifetime soap opera roles, Marian's unhappiness is turned around when rumors begin circulating that her newest performance may get her an Oscar nomination. Once these rumors begin spreading to other members of the cast as well, the film is pushed to a whole new level of prestige. A whirlwind of publicity and marketing follows as the buzz begins leaking into trade magazines and entertainment shows. By the time award season finally does roll around, prestige is no longer the only thing riding on the nominations, but also careers, futures, and sanity.
Catherine O’Hara finally gets a chance to shine as the uncontestable star of For Your Consideration. She is heartbreakingly funny, bringing real pain and real heart to a role that seemed to be not only personal to her, but also a golden opportunity to portray a class of victims of the Hollywood system that are rarely given any notice. It is no secret that there are virtually no great roles being written for women over 35 to play nowadays, and it’s both amusing and frustrating to watch Marian’s face when she’s asked on a morning talk show, “Where have you been?”, when all along, she had never really stopped working. Harry Shearer plays Marian’s counterpart in the film, who is appalled to learn that (after years of performing Shakespeare on stage and the like) is best remembered and loved for his television commercial stints as a charismatic hotdog. It makes one think; what really is the definition of a has-been? When the two stars start making publicity rounds for Home for Purim (soon changed to Home for Thanksgiving for better so called ‘audience relatability’), we are appalled to see that Shearer’s character has bleached the top of his thinning hair and has started dressing like a twenty-year old, while Marian has used her hard-earned cash for multiple visits to plastic surgeons. It is a more bitter than sweet showcase of what Hollywood has become. Slimeball agents, air-headed producers, and pretentious screenwriters are around every corner. Shows like TRL, Entertainment Tonight, and Charlie Rose are spoofed. The actors of Purim sit through interviews that are subject to the stupidity of such ridiculous questions like “Aren’t cell phones great?” and “What is your favorite place?” Christopher Guest retains most of his great cast from his previous comedies. Parker Posey stands out yet again, this time as Marian’s potential Academy Award rival.
At the onset of the production of For Your Consideration, Christopher Guest made it clear to everyone that he did not intend to make another one of his trademark ‘mockumentary’ stories. This, however, is not exactly the truth, - the cast is nearly identical, the majority of shots are handheld, and interviews are done by entertainment journalists instead of an anonymous off-screen producer/director. In fact, the premise of this film could almost serve as a sequel to Waiting for Guffman. What if they had made it in Hollywood? While both films stand entirely on their own as commentaries on the world of entertainment, I have to say that I found Guffman a lot more satisfying. The characters in that film were far more likeable and relatable, even with their many faults. There is really no one I felt compelled to root for in For Your Consideration. Even Marian loses her way, succumbing to her ego and forcing the votes of confidence from our hands. Still, the film is an engaging and sadly humorous look at the power of hype.
Grading:
Story = B+
Originality = B+
DVD Features = N/A
Acting = A-
Enjoyability = B
Visuals = B
Overall = B
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