Review of The TV Set (2007) by Daijobu D — 18 Dec 2007

Great premise albeit along a beaten path - a glimpse behind the scenes at the madness of the entertainment industry and the psycho's allowed to laugh all the way to the bank by being the nutcases they are -- only in show business! While the first hour of the film is quite engaging, it falls flat by its cliche devices and plot points in a sloppy wrap-up. Sigourney Weaver was fantastic as the nutcase tv executive, but while hers was a great performance, the rest of the cast just didn't cut it - from the material given to them, to what I think is a big miscast with the lead - David Duchovy, as the writer who eventually sells his soul to keep the cheque - Duchovy is a great actor given the right material, but this was not a role that fit him, nor was the screenplay good enough to bring new ideas so we don't just see them as cliches.

The film could have benefited from having someone like Aaron Sorkin give it a tweak or two. While THE TV SET sets off on the right foot, it trips along the way and never made the cut. As much as Sorkin's STUDIO 60 confused audiences, leading to its demise, it is still miles ahead of THE TV SET in bringing out the realities of the madness to which people in the entertainment industry both have to endure and eventually ascribe to.