Review of For Your Consideration (2006) by Greg D — 24 Mar 2008

For Your Consideration is a good concept executed quite poorly. Christopher Guest directs this movie. Guest, of course, is known for directing movies like Best in Show, Waiting For Guffman, and A Mighty Wind. Here he doesn't measure up to his previous successes. Guest will often pick a world like the world of Dog Shows and comically tackle that world. Here he takes a stab at the movie industry. For Your Consideration is about the cast and crew of a small film who start to hear rumors from the Internet that say that the movie they are working on is destined for Oscar recognition. This rumor takes its toll on those involved with the movie, which is entitled Home for Purim, with what should be hilarious results for the viewers of For Your Consideration. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few chuckles here and there, most of the humor falls pretty flat, and a lot of the humor feels forced. Once the humor fails, so does the movie, because the story line is little more then a vehicle for the humor, leaving little room for audiences to become involved with the characters.

Part of the problem appears to be too many characters, making the movie feel like a collection of skits rather then a cohesive story. It was more like watching Saturday Night Live then a movie, and not back when the individual cast members were destined for stardom but Saturday Night Live now, far past its prime. Sure a few skits are good for a laugh, but too much of it is subpar filler.

But I digress, For Your Consideration was a fun concept dealing with ego, the behind the scenes of Hollywood, and the politics and shallow aspects of the industry and those involved, but for the most part it ends up being entirely forgettable. It isn't biting enough to be a movie to pay attention to for its look at Hollywood, and not funny enough to be taken seriously (no pun intended) as a comedy. It is especially disappointing since Guest utilizes a lot of the same talent that created some of his greater directorial successes.

The good news is it is relatively short, the bad news is that it is just barely good enough that you will probably want to see how it ends, making it harder to just turn it off and watch something better. You can't help but feel for the talented comedians (such as Harry Shearer who has voiced countless characters on the hugely successful cartoon, The Simpsons) whose talents are almost completely wasted in this pseudo-comedy that leaves audiences unengaged.