THE BIG PICTURE
US, 1989, 100 minutes, Colour.
Kevin Bacon, Emily Longstreth, J.T.Walsh, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Mc Kean, Jason Gould.
Directed by Christopher Guest.
The Big Picture is an amusing spoof of Hollywood. It is a film by Christopher Guest, one of the co-writers of Rob Reiner's amusing parody of rock and roll, This Is Spinal Tap. Michael Mc Kean, another writer and star of Reiner's film, also co-wrote and features in The Big Picture. They combined in the 90s for Waiting for Gufman and Best in Show. Star is Kevin Bacon, a graduate of a film school who seems to have Hollywood before him, but is caught up in the commercial madness and compromises. There is a great deal of parody of Hollywood film-making, producers, the hype, Hollywood films and their style. There is quite a deal of amusing dialogue.
However, the film is modest - and the entertainment is often spasmodic rather than a complete whole. There are amusing guest appearances by such stars as Eddie Albert, Elliott Gould, June Lockhart, Roddy McDowell?, Stephen Collins - and a special appearance by John Cleese.
1.Entertaining spoof, comedy, poke at the movies and Hollywood?
2.The film using devices to make a tribute to the film industry and to mock it? Colour photography? Black and white photography? Editing and pace? Stylisation? Video techniques?
3.Hollywood and its style, offices, studios, homes, workplaces? Reality and fantasy?
4.Colour photography and black and white photography? Styles, sets, special effects? Musical score and songs?
5.The quality of the cast? The guest stars?
6.Nick and Susan, the arrival at the awards, the imagining of the Gestapo film? The awards and the spoof on the movies - the Napoleonic movie, parents, arty movie? The parody on the television court scene? Nick and his winning, celebrating, the party? Allen and his offer? The later celebration with Emmett and Jenny? The portrait of Nick, his parents, Susan, friendship with Emmett and Jenny? Success and ambitions?
7.The phone calls, the offers? Neil and his help? Talking to Allen and Todd? The artificial fire in the office? Todd as a yes-man? His imagining his movie - winter, black and white, the triangle? The suggestions that it be two women, transferred to summer? The script conference and the yes-man and yes-woman, changing his film completely? Changes and compromise?
8.His wealth, the car, the new apartment? Susan and her reaction to the change? His going to the parties, sex and modish people? Fashions and styles? Following Gretchen? The liaison with her? Breaking with Susan? Her leaving?
9.The discussions about his script, success, visits with Neil? The lie to Emmett about his being a photographer? Their talk? The sudden collapse of the industry and Allen out of a job, his script failing?
10.Not having a job, the visits to the various workplaces? His pleading with various producers - even agreeing to change his movie to a teenage beach sex and rock and roll film? The various jobs, changing, wanting to be a waiter and the long list? The phone company? At the bar - and the comedy with John Cleese, watching the depressed James Stewart from It's A Wonderful Life - and the colourisation?
11.Going to see Susan, going to work, admitting the truth, her not being ready to come back? Lydia and her group, her eccentric style? The video and its getting air play? Todd seeing it? The rumour-mill about his success?
12.Telling the truth to Emmett, reconciled with him, playing with Lucy? Reconciled with Susan?
13.Everybody chasing him, the answering service and their demands? Neil and his final pleas?
14.His own screenplay, filming, his own conditions, integrity? The visualising of his film - and everybody on the set? Lydia and Emmett working for him? His parents?
15.The sketch of incidental characters: Eddie Albert as the compere and the spoof of awards, the vain and Napoleonic director and his later career, Carl and his becoming an agent? Martin Short's tour de force as Neil, the self-centred homosexual agent? John Cleese as the barman? Allen and Todd as the parody of Hollywood producers and yes-men? Lydia and her eccentricity?
16.Audience presuppositions about the movies, art, integrity, commerce and Hollywood?
