Review of The TV Set (2007) by Sam B — 17 Oct 2010

For Fans Of: Ensemble, Duchovny, Judy Greer, murky humor.

Date Night: Nope.

Art Factor: Low.

Fun Factor: Low.

Emotional Factor: Low.

Intelligence Required: Medium.

Essential Viewing: No.

I totally wanted to see this so bad. I'm a huge Duchovny fan, well, Californication fan. Most of the ensemble cast had players that I am very fond of, including the previously mentioned Judy Greer (get this woman more parts). The cast was as good as I had hoped with laughs coming from all around, including a very funny Sigourney Weaver. But damn if the premise just didn't start to run dry quickly. I am usually a big fan of mockumentaries, or films that are kind of mockumentaries. I just found there to be way too many slow points in this one. Director Kasdan did a decent job, but he is no Christopher Guest at this. The script, penned by a former writer from the classic show Arrested Development, was good, but it never hit great and at times backslid into bad. It felt like the writer couldn't decide is this a dark comedy or straight laughs. The camera work was also a big problem for me. You can't shoot half a movie doc style and the other half film style and not expect it to have a choppy uneven feel. This is one of those movies that with a few tweaks could have scored way higher and just might have found an audience, especially when you take into account the considerable talent on display here. If you enjoy this type of film, I would recommend it to you, but if you are new to this style, get yourself a Guest flick so you can see how it should be done.