Waiting for Guffman
Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Fred Willard; Directed by Christopher Guest
The small town of Blaine, Missouri is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Off-off-Broadway veteran Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest) has volunteered to put together a musical production that will cover the entire history of their beloved town. He begins the process of hiring the small team of actors, a cast that includes a local dentist (Eugene Levy), a dedicated Dairy Queen employee (Parker Posey), and a pair of travel agents who (with one exception) have never been out of the town (Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara). Problems with a non-existent budget, a cross-eyed leading character, last minute replacements, and a power hungry music teacher all come with the territory of show production. But all of these troubles fade away when the overjoyed company learns that a Mr. Mort Guffman from New York City is coming to the show to see if it has a chance of running on Broadway. However, the biggest problem of all is a problem that no one realizes exists at all.
They can’t sing, they can’t dance, and they definitely can’t act.
The genre of ‘mockumentary’ is always so hard to pull off. It is often difficult for audiences to adjust to this rarely seen format, although perhaps the changing times may be making things easier. It’s like Reality TV, only the plot is completely fabricated and the people onscreen are all actors. Well maybe it’s exactly like Reality TV. Another thing that may be hard to adjust to is the fact that the majority of the dialogue is improvised. The flow of the scenes can seem sketchy and disconnected at times because of this, but it also makes the success of each joke and character quirk all the more brilliant.
Most people will know Christopher Guest for his role as Nigel Tufnel in This is Spinal Tap, and he is no less entertaining here. Playing the most effeminate straight man known to the world, he takes his cast of hopeful amateurs under his wing and guides them all head on into delusions of grandeur. He accurately reflects every high school drama teacher that I have ever known. Parker Posey is the low-class middle America hopeful who dreams of the possibility of leaving the small town and reaching New York (“Maybe meet some guys, some Italian guys...you know, watch TVand stuff.”). Her deadpan delivery is on the nail every time, and her naïveté translates more into simplicity than stupidity, which mirrors the nature of a lot of young women today in certain regions of our great country. Eugene Levy is perfect as the awkward and self-conscious dentist who grabs his chance to become an entertainer and eventually runs all the way to Orlando with it. While it was the nature of his character, Fred Willard had a tendency to overpower his wife, played by Catherine O’Hara, on several occasions. They are both great comic actors, but her talents are not as prominent here as I wish they had been. Once she is onstage, each line delivery becomes an over exaggerated exclamation. (“California will sure be sight for these weary eyes!!!”) If someone once told her character to project, she never forgot it...and she never stopped. It is hilarious, and it is the genius of the mockumentary genre. Any comedian will tell you that real life is funnier than anything that can be invented. This is the proof. These are caricatures of people we know, and of ourselves. Sometimes it’s so true that it hurts, but it’s a good kind of hurt.
Spoiler: The film also succeeds on a dramatic level when Mort Guffman never shows. They are robbed of their dreams and are left clutching thin air. But the chance to be in the show has forever changed each of their lives. They all move on and find different things they were missing, - happiness, peace, and the motivation to actively try and make their lives better. It’s a good, satisfying ending to this sweet and silly comedy.
As is with any comedy, this film has gaps of unfunny material that is probably supposed to be funny, but just didn’t translate well over to the audience. Some jokes fail. Some people may not see the humor in the portrayals of the townspeople. When I first saw it, I thought the film had a feeling of being thrown together seemingly at the last minute, and this was because of the improvisation being done. But once you get the feel for it, you will appreciate it. I’m finding it more humorous with each viewing, and how many comedies can do that? This film is certainly no Spinal Tap, but it does have its moments. The real foundation of this project, however, is Mr. Christopher Guest and his performance as Corky St. Clair. The film would’ve had no reason to exist without him. There are two other films done in this fashion that are directed by Guest. If you end up liking this one, check out Best in Show and A Mighty Wind.
Story = A-
Originality = A
Acting = A-
Enjoyability = B+
Visuals = B
Overall Grade = B+
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