Well, the podcast episode for this movie went up yesterday, so I feel like I can write a review for it today.
Waiting for Guffman is, of course, the 1996 mockumentary from comedic filmmaker Christopher Guest. Set in a fictional small town in Missouri, the movie shows how some of the town’s more eccentric residents put on a small musical play to celebrate the town’s anniversary. Considering what kind of town Blaine is, they have to really stand out to be that eccentric.
What kind of town is Blaine? The kind that shows equal pride in once producing high quality footstools and having a UFO sighting before Roswell made the news. It’s the kind of town where the City Council will consider placing snipers in hiding because they were egged the year before. In short, it’s a town that perhaps sees itself as far more important than it really is.
That same mentality translates to the cast and crew of the big play being put on to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary. Headed up by one time New York City resident Corky St. Clair (Guest) with frustrated musical director Lloyd Miller (Bob Balaban) along for the ride, most everyone involved in the show seems to believe they are creating more than just a simple musical pageant celebrating their hometown. Whether it’s veteran town actors Ron and Sheila Albertson (Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara), terminally square newcomer Dr. Allan Pearl (Eugene Levy), perky Dairy Queen server Libby Mae Brown (Parker Posey), or any of the others who seem to come and go, this is in their minds a giant production worthy of Broadway.
Is it? Obviously not, but that doesn’t stop these people from thinking so, particularly when Corky somehow arranges for a big time Broadway producer to come see the show. If the show is that good, it will go to Broadway. And while I wouldn’t in a million years call it a bad show, something with a musical with a six person cast doesn’t seem all that likely, particularly when big numbers are dedicated to alien visitors and footstools. As a work of town pride, it’s silly and harmless. As a Broadway play, it’s unlikely.
That, of course, doesn’t stop the cast from thinking otherwise, particularly Corky, a man who sees no harm in requesting $100,000 for the budget from a town where the annual operating budget is $18,000.
Waiting for Guffman probably works best for people who worked in or around amateur theater. While people this ridiculous don’t necessarily exist, the sort of self-series types who believe every play is a masterpiece of the genre do exist, and it’s nice to take a silly look behind the curtains at what it’s sort of like. Yeah, Rob giving Sheila two hours worth of notes is excessive, but it’s not like there aren’t people who see themselves as experts in something they basically just dabble in. Heck, that could describe any number of people even outside the world of acting.
I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I probably need to fill in both my Christopher Guest and documentary knowledge gaps a bit in the future, but if you’re just looking to watch some people with delusions of grandeur dream way beyond their actual range, why not go with one that at least lets its subjects off a little easy?
Grade: A-
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