Guest's new film worth 'consideration'

The Daily Collegian - 12/1/06

The year was 1984 and well known director Rob Reiner introduced the world to Spinal Tap, a fictitious heavy metal band from England, in his mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap." Let us all pause for a moment and silently thank Mr. Reiner for his expertise, directorial prowess, and his planting of a comedic seed inside of Christopher Guest's ("Best In Show," "Waiting for Guffman") head. What "This Is Spinal Tap" did for rock n' roll, "For Your Consideration" does for Hollywood, but in its own unique way.

While seeming less direct than other mockumentaries, "Consideration" follows suit with other of writer/director Guest's works by using satire and copious amounts of tongue-in-cheek humor to get his point across. All comparisons aside, "Consideration" is really a masterpiece in its own right.

The basic story follows the making of a new movie called "Home for Purim" and follows the cast and crew associated with it. When rumors start on the Internet, some of the cast get caught up in the pre-Oscar buzz and the rest of the story falls neatly into place after this.

Containing stellar performances by Catherine O'Hara ("Home Alone"), Eugene Levy ("American Pie") and Harry Shearer ("This is Spinal Tap,") "Consideration" is really stolen by Fred Willard ("Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy") as talk show host Chuck Porter. His superbly timed, almost caustic wit clashes with the seriousness of events, creating comedic value where there might not have been any.

Much of the actual humor in "Consideration" comes from its satire on current pop icons and culture. From Ryan Seacrest to Anna Nicole Smith, Ebert and Roeper and Access Hollywood, nothing was spared from the ridicule of this production. Some of the best satire came from the fictitious show "Hollywood Now," hosted by Chuck Porter (Willard) and Cindy Martin (Jane Lynch, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby").

Now, not all of "For Your Consideration" is golden. John Michael Higgins' ("Wag the Dog") character Corey Taft is entirely too reminiscent of Will Ferrell in "Anchorman." By using the same dry humor mixed with quick monologues littered with one-liners, as well as the same overall persona, Higgins really does a mediocre Ron Burgundy impression instead of creating a Corey Taft.

Another downfall is how noticeably "Consideration" drags towards its end. With many movies going far over two hours and still staying interesting, it is a wonder why, with only an 86-minute runtime and all of Guest's experience that "Consideration" has any drag at all. Assuming that the movie was cut down, either more time should have been added or the scene placement should have been rethought.

With Guest's touch and an all-star cast, "For Your Consideration" really lights up the screen and the audience. Reviving the art form of mockumentary, Guest and his cast brought loads of laughs, shouts and even a few groans from everyone in the theater. Get ready to see one of the year's brightest, wittiest and downright funniest films.

"For Your Consideration" is released by Warner Independent Pictures and is playing at Amherst Cinemas until Dec. 7.