Incident at Loch Ness
Werner Herzog in a mockumentary? Genius. This is the second time I've watched this one, and it keeps getting funnier every time I see it.
Werner Herzog plays, well, Werner Herzog, (if you're not familiar with him, don't worry the movie gives a some nice footage from FItzcarraldo and a little background to his mythos) who's mounting a documentary called The Enigma of Loch Ness. He isn't interested in the monster per se, more the people who belive in the monster. "I want to find the real wackos out there." To bring his film to fruition he has hooked up with Hollywood sleazebag producer Zak Penn (again playing himself), who in attempt to make the film commercial has brought in some actors and 'ringers', he hopes will turn Herzog's little documentary into a James Cameron style "Return to Titanic" expedition. He's even bought matching jump suits for the crew. Even if they are mispelled.
This is the classic Director vs Producer story told through compiled footage of another film crew's documentary on Herzog's process. So really you've got 4 movies going on here. The movie you're actually watching, the documentary being made about Werner Herzog, the documentary Herzog is attempting to make, and the commercial film Penn is hoping to make on the sly. Of course none of these are actually happening, and as the crew begins to encounter some strange goings on at Loch Ness the focus of all 4 films shifts.
The real humor of the film is through the crew's interaction with Penn and Herzog. They are all caught in the middle and aren't even sure which film they're actually making. The joke is carried over to the commentary track which desenegrates into person after person accusing Penn of hijacking the production and being personally responsible for the outcome. As Herzog puts it in the, "I can understand why you're wife left you (Zak). If I were a female I don't think I could touch you. Not even with a pair of pliers."