For Your Consideration

For Your Consideration is the latest mockumentary from director Christopher Guest. As usual, he co-wrote the witty screenplay with Eugene Levy.

This film focuses on all the hype that surrounds rumors of an actor possibly getting an Oscar nomination. Marilyn Hack (Catherine O'Hara) is working on her latest movie Home for Purim because she has to pay the rent. But one day someone mentions that there was an article on the web posted by a person who was on the set of the film. They say that Marilyn is a definitely a candidate for an Oscar nomination. When she mentions this to several people who are working on the film they check out the web and confirm that this is true. Naturally Marilyn gets very excited about all of this. Who wouldn't?

Something similar happens to Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer). He is making this film because he is tired of making the commercials that his sleazy agent Morley Orfkin (Levy) talks him into doing. Rumors are flying all over the net that Miller is a strong contender for an Oscar nomination.

Enter studio head Martin Gibb (Ricky Gervais). He has a copy of Variety that says Callie Webb (Parker Posey), who is generally a standup comic, will be nominated for an Oscar. And as much as Gibb loves the idea of Home for Purim there are a few things here and there that he wants changed. This comes as a shock to screenwriters Philip Koontz (Bob Balaban) and Lane Iverson (Michael McKean) but what can they do but comply with the wishes of the head of the studio? Included in the film is a television program with two critics discussing which films are good and which are not. And then you have the program that features all of the Hollywood gossip of the day. In real life we have several of both types of programs. You will find out what happens to the potential nominees if you decide to see this film.

For Your Consideration is a lot of fun but I also think that it makes a very good point. There are so many web sites devoted to Oscar speculation out there right now and more are popping up every day. As soon as the Oscars are given out these sites are already speculating about who is going to be nominated the next year. This is without anyone seeing the films that they are talking about. Needless to say there is much disappointment because some of the films that are predicted do no meet expectations. But the danger that I see in this whole process is that genuine film appreciation is being replaced by people who see filmmaking as just a vehicle to win awards. Now that is a damn shame.

Guest and his actors seem to feel this way as well. Too much has been made of awards but also getting people's hopes up about their own chances may not be such a good thing. All of the actors do a good job in the film and Guest has filled the roles with many of his regulars including himself as the cranky director Jay Berman and Fred Willard as gossip show host Chuck Porter. The best one in the film is O'Hara. She is truly outstanding. There is talk of her getting an Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category. It would be great if that happens because she really deserves it. But not getting a nomination will not diminish her performance in the least. And in the end it is the quality of the work that matters and nothing else.