THE MOGULS
US, 2005, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jeff Bridges, Tim Blake Nelson, Joe Pantoliano, Ted Danson, William Fichtner, Patrick Fugit, John Hawkes, Brad Henke, Glenne Headley, Tom Bower, Lauren Graham, Alex D.Linz, Jean Tripplehorn, Isaiah Washington, Steven Weber, Valerie Perrine, Judy Greer, Eileen Brennan, Brad Garrett.
Directed by Michael Traeger.
Moguls, this crowd of buddies certainly are not. Andy Sargentee (Jeff Bridges in his Big Lebowski mode) thinks up ideas, ideas for making money, involving his friends and their money – and they never work. He gets the featherbrained idea that the way to make money is to produce a pornographic movie. Well, this may not be the story you want to watch but, for a film on this theme, there is comparatively little in the film itself. It takes for granted an amoral world in which pornography is just another pastime but it still offers us squeamish attitudes, touches of modesty and finally shows us that its heart is in the right place. A porno film is not the kind of movie one really wants to or ought to make. It’s just another topic for a light-hearted series of jokes.
The cast is quite substantial. Friends include William Fichtner, Ted Danson (acting against type as a bachelor gay man in oblivious denial), Joe Pantoliano and Tim Blake Nelson. Patrick Fugit is the video store geek who does the filming. Glenne Headley, Jeanne Tripplehorn and Valerie Perrine are also around.
Despite their less than savoury endeavours (most of which go wrong), the group are a likeable lot, good friends and supportive of one another – and, to that extent, this is quite a genial film.
1. A local comedy drama? The home town touches? The small town, the making of the film, consequences for the people?
2. The town, homes, the streets, the wealthy, poorer, bars, shops?
3. The range of the cast and the characters?
4. The title, the emphasis on Moguls, the emphasis on Amateurs?
5. Andy, Jeff Bridges and his screen presence, his character and style, the voice-over and his telling the story, controlling the time, touches of the fast forward, his ex-wife and her new husband, their mansion, the bonding with his son, his son’s admiration for his father, the discussions about buying the baseball and the reactions of the people in the shop, the cost, his son with all the basketballs, and the court in his room? The variety of friends, his introductions to each of the characters?
6. His wife, his relationship with her, friendly, his son, wanting to go with friends for the weekend? Later, the achievement of the film, his son’s pride in his father?
7. Andy, midlife crisis, sitting in the bar, concentrating, inventing, the brainwave?
8. The idea, making a porn film, pornography and the US, audience response to pornography, curiosity, prurience? Andy and his going to the video store, borrowing all the copies, watching, developing his idea?
9. Gathering his friends, asking for the $2000 outlay, their enthusiasms, means of getting the money, the plans, the discussions about the relative jobs? The friends watching the videos?
10. Barney, close friend for Andy, in the bar, his infatuation with Helen, the men in her life, always late, being ditched, Barney wanting to help, support, her giving him the cold shoulder? Helen and her character, and agreeing to go into the film, the setup for the scene, the sex toys, Barney upset, coming to the house, getting the negatives, throwing them in the fireplace, his love for Helen, Andy eventually persuading her that this was true?
11. Otis, his life, friendship with the girl, attitude towards pornography, his role in wanting to be on the set and watching, his crude language and coarse attitude towards the film?
12. Ron and Mo, friends, agreeing to do the scene, the scenes of the acting?
13. Emmett, at the video shop, always with the camera, filming?
14. Some Idiot, his studies, Andy putting him off, his wanting to be writer-director, his script, cutting it down, filming the scenes and directing performance? His gratitude for being able to do the work?
15. Ellie in the shop, Andy planning to ask her about the feasibility, her responding affirmatively to everything, agreeing to be in the film, anticipating all of his questions? Her recently-divorced boss, participating, using the shop?
16. Finding V, her being willing, participating in the film?
17. Moose, friends with everyone, the fact that he was gay, refusing to acknowledge it, his exaggerated hetero boasting, the others knowing the truth, his enthusiasm for the film, watching, volunteering to perform, with V, impotence, his failure? Otis telling the truth, his finally accepting this, their still being his friends?
18. The film, the difficulties, the interview with the 3 black men, the discussions afterwards about the finance, the pressures?
19. The Premier, everyone invited, and inviting the girl that he intended to invite for the part but did not? The credits, the friends at the bar, the 2 older ladies? The brother turning up, smashing the film, the machine, the brawl? The loss of the film?
20. Andy and his sense of failure, the new brainwave, going to see Emmett, Emmett having filmed everything on video, all the footage, commissioning him to edit it, eliminating the sex scenes, a film about the town and the planning of a film? Going to the Festival, winning the prize, the group on stage, and his speech? His ex-wife, the new husband (and his lending the money), success for everyone, profits, everybody buying something nice and new?
21. A folksy kind of film, despite the sleazy aspect of making the pornographic film?
