Review of For Your Consideration (2006) by Kylie P — 08 Jun 2010

For Your Consideration gives its audience a few giggles, but the entire exercise is really about Guest and his companions poking fun at the society in which they happen to create and to peddle the same product in the same system they're mocking. Yet, the pokes aren't altogether that sharp, and the satire of this particular subject is really recycled material. There is an obvious if subtle affection for the quirks of Hollywood, including the self-important screenwriters and fluffy television tabloids, on the part of Guest and his comrades here, and that affection sort of undermines the wit of the satire and even renders the film likely more delightful to an insider, even if the insider is a bona fide movie critic.

The biggest anticipation for this film centered on the appearance of Gervais, who is almost always wickedly funny, even if the material he's given to work with is less than spectacular. This material, in fact, was less than spectacular, and he was one of the high points of the comedy, but even his performance seemed a bit understated by the inherent indecisiveness of the bubbly satire being showcased here.

The women turn out to be the most interesting players in the piece, though not necessarily for their hilarity. It's O'Hara's and Posey's pseudo-dramatic moments that actually accentuate the satirical aspect of the subject matter. They're funny, to be sure, but it's because the sense of humor being conveyed is more ironic than anything else. The tension over who might actually be nominated for an Oscar for this obscure little film gives the film it's best structure and is when the film is the most engaging. Yet, it's always funny to find Fred Willard's wacky flash-in-the-pan characters in these films, and to find him paired with Jane Lynch this time out was also delightful and woefully underused.

Still, the film is clearly the least funny entry in the mockumentary series because it doesn't have the earnestness of Waiting for Guffman, the quirkiness of Best In Show, or the musical soul of A Mighty Wind. In the end, it tries for another quality, maybe something that bites, but that, in the end, only leaves red teeth marks that fade within a half hour.

Ultimately, the movie did not live up to the potential of its idea or of Guest's considerably wicked sense of humor or to the high standards of the film's predecessors. There are some who may never find Guest funny, and that's ok; many probably would not find this film especially funny even if they did.