For Your Consideration

April 9, 2008

It’s not a mockumentary, but it still feels like one.

For Your Consideration is a satire of the Hollywood Awards “machine” – three no name actors receive Oscar buzz for their performances and it turns their lives upside down. They begin to change their appearance, the amounts of money they can demand and drive away their loved ones – all based on an internet rumor!

Christopher Guest’s usual suspects are all present. Rachael Harris joins the group as the actress who plays Mary Pat the lesbian. She demands that the cast and crew refer to her as Mary Pat throughout the duration of the shoot. Gotta love ‘method acting.’

I was expecting a bigger part for Ricky Gervais. If you’re going to bother importing England’s top improvisational actor, why not give him a bit more to do? He plays a Studio Exec that declares their film, ‘Home for Purim’ to be too Jewy and demands changes be made. Funny, that the plot is about a lesbian coming out to her family – it just goes to show, EVERYONE loves lesbians.

For Your Consideration was amusing in it’s own way – I don’t remember actually laughing out loud, except for the first time I saw Marilyn Hack after her “makeover.” The humor is the most subtle of all his films. Although this film is at the bottom of the list for me of Guest’s work – his worst day is still better than most director’s best day.