For Your Consideration

Summary

“You can’t throw the baby out with the bath water because then all you will have is a wet, critically injured baby.”

Christopher Guest has made a solid career out of crafting exceptional comedies mostly working in the mockumentary genre. Working with an exceptional team of professional improvisational actors, Guest and his frequent collaborator Eugene Levy would write a broad script with the beats that needed to occur, but would allow their cast to craft their own dialogue in their interactions. I have been a fan of Guest’s work since I watched both Waiting for Guffman and This is Spinal Tap at a young age. For all young guitarists, Spinal Tap was basically required viewing. I have shown friends both of those movies countless times. For Your Consideration came out when I was in college, and I remember that I was very excited to see it because the film also featured British comedian Ricky Gervais. I was a diehard fan of the original British series The Office so I salivated at the possibilities of seeing him perform alongside Christopher Guest and his cast. I saw the film exactly one time. I remember thinking it was funny, but not extremely memorable. It also surprised me that the film was not actually a mockumentary like the prior films, but instead a loose satire. Warner Archive has done an excellent job of releasing Christopher Guest’s other films on Blu-ray, so I was more than happy to revisit the picture to see if the passage of time would improve my opinion of the film.

The plot of the film revolves around a Hollywood production. Director Jay Berman (Christopher Guest) is making a drama called “Home for Porrum” by writers Philip Koontz and Lane Iverson (Bob Balaban and Michael McKean.) Three of his lead actors – Marilyn Hack (Catherine O’Hara,) Victor Alan Miller (Henry Shearer,) and Callie Webb (Parker Posey) – become the subject of serious Oscar buzz. While their agents, hairdressers, and members of the crew look on, the actors begin to believe the hype while changes put in place by the studio begin to impact the direction of the film.

Eighteen years later, For Your Consideration seems to have aged very well. While I still believe Christopher Guest’s earlier comedies are better overall, For Your Consideration is definitely due for a reappraisal. My initial disappointment with the movie can best be explained by just how excited I was to see it. Lofty expectations often lead to letdowns, and I was probably too judgmental of the film on my first viewing. I think that the concepts explored in the film are pretty timeless, even if the tone feels a bit more cynical than some of the other Guest-Levy comedies. Skewering the film industry feels like low hanging fruit, but I liked the way that the film focused specifically on how personalities in the industry change when the media pays them attention. The buzz that surrounds actors or actresses can easily affect their character. The final half of the picture has some really hilarious outcomes for the overhyped Oscar-seeking actors.

Like all Christopher Guest pictures, the cast is fantastic. The leads mentioned above are all great, with particularly enjoyable moments for Catherine O’Hara and Harry Shearer, but the film has a fantastic assortment of small roles. I loved Fred Willard’s hilarious turn as an Entertainment Tonight-style talking head. Jane Lynch is a great counterpart for those moments. Eugene Levy is very funny as Victor’s agent. Jennifer Coolidge is notable as the film’s producer, and John Michael Higgins is very funny as a publicist and hype man. Christopher Moynihan is also well cast as Brian Chubb, the fourth lead in the film and romantic interest of Callie Webb. Rickie Gervais also made me laugh in his brief time onscreen.

Christopher Guest does a solid job of directing the excellent comedic talent at his fingertips, although the film doesn’t quite have the comedic tempo that some of his best works nailed down so well. That said, I had a great time rewatching the film. If you were disappointed when you first saw it back then, give the movie another shot. Recommended.

Video

Warner Archive have provided a good looking 1080p transfer using an MPEG-4 AVC encode. The presentation is in 1.78:1, which differs from the DVD release which was in 1.85:1. I have not seen the DVD since 2006, but I had no difficulty enjoying the picture in 1.78:1. Fine detail is for the most part very good. The grain has been resolved well, giving a nice filmic look. I did not notice any type of damage to the print. This is a big leap in quality from the dated DVD.

Audio

For Your Consideration is presented with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 track. This is a front-heavy affair because the film is dialogue focused. There is not a lot of moments that really jump out like in prior Guest comedies, because there are not any significant musical numbers like in those films. That said, clarity is excellent and dialogue is easy to understand. This is a reference quality track.

Supplements:

• Audio Commentary – co-writers Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy
• Over 30 Minutes of Hilarious Bonus Material 
• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4.5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 3/5

Overall – 4/5

For Your Consideration is not the best Christopher Guest-Eugene Levy comedy, but it is definitely deserving of reappraisal. I had not seen the film since the first time I watched it in 2006, and I am happy to report that the film has aged very well. All of the tropes about Hollywood that the film spoofs are still essentially the same a couple decades later, so the comedy still feels relevant. I think one of the aspects that worked against the film is that Hollywood has aped itself so many times, that the picture could not feel as inventive as when Christopher Guest and his team spoofed the worlds of small town theatre, dog shows, or folk music. I had a lot of fun revisiting the picture. It has a fantastic cast with some great turns in even the smallest roles. Warner Archive’s presentation of the picture looks and sounds great, so fans of the film should definitely add the film to their collection. Recommended.

The film can be purchased at www.moviezyng.com.