I had this on my Netflix queue, but I didn't get to it through the natural progression of the queue. I have a friend, one of my closest, for whom this film is one of her absolute favorites. She's a theater-geek and a stage manager in training. Ever since I've known her, she's been like "Waiting for Guffman, Waiting for Guffman, you have to see Waiting for Guffman." I, of course, had never heard of it prior to becoming a theater geek myself and meeting her and hearing everyone talk about it. Because she's one of my closest friends, and because we hang out a lot, we often quote movies in passing. We have common movies, but Waiting for Guffman was always the one she insisted I watch. I insist she watch Bridget Jones' Diary. It's her turn now. Last night, I finally watching Waiting for Guffman. It was my first Christopher Guest-helmed movie too. And it was hilarious.
Guest, who directed, also stars as Corky St. Clair, a New York transplant to small town Blaine, Missouri. Of course, he's not-so-ambiguously gay, at least to the viewer, though the small-towners don't seem to notice him playing up every stereotype - although not cruelly, which I was relieved about. Corky is a director and auteur, and for Blaine (the capital of stools and the first town to experience an alien invasion, not Roswell, contrary to public opinion) and its sesquecentennial celebration, Corky pens a musical of epic proportions for its community theater. He casts local talent, a word to be used liberally as talent is relative in Blaine, and then takes it upon himself to contact New York theater companies to advertise his project. One theater company indicates that a Mr. Guffman will be in attendance, and Corky advertises the idea that the musical could be Broadway-bound. In the meantime, the entire story is told through the "mockumentary" format that Guest and his various writing partners (including Michael McKean and Eugene Levy) are famous for.
This film is hilarious, but I immediately wondered if people not involved in theater or the entertainment business of some kind would find this film remotely funny? There was quite a bit of inside humor. My absolute favorite character was Bob Balaban's music director, and my favorite scene was the quiet creative argument when the music director fights with Corky over practicing music. That is so true to life, I can attest to it! Granted, it's never quite as funny as in this scene, and never quite to this extreme, but the clash of ego and creative control between director and music director is a reality, even in small town community theater (and larger town community theater).
Really, though, the whole cast was priceless and filled with stars who often come onto Guest projects. Mr. Levy himself played dentist Allan Pearl, who was not the class clown but sat next to him, making him ready for his tour de force comedic performance. Fred Willard and Catherine O'Hara played the Albertsons, travel agents who have never been anywhere outside of Blaine (except to Jefferson City for a medical condition), but also the seemingly humble actors who become experts and divas by the time the play is on a roll. Catherine O'Hara was particularly funny when she and the Pearls (Allan's wife in tow) share dinner at a Chinese restaurant, and she gets a little too tipsy on wine. I also loved the quintessential small-town post-80s 80s bangs she was sporting. Parker Posey played a Dairy Queen transplant, the waif in whom Corky sees some inspiration, at least until he finds a hunky auto-mechanic to take on the male lead.
The whole movie worked because of its thumb-its-nose satire on small towns, self-delusion, community theater, and theater in general. My only complaint was that this movie was not as laugh-out-loud funny as people had me believe, but it still caused me to chuckle quite a bit. It was also kind of genius in its own right because it is something that non-theater people can still laugh at, can still see in everyday life.
In fact, because the film never takes itself too seriously as it is too busy poking fun at these institutions while remaining not cruel in its mocking, I can find very little wrong with it. Mr. Guest is very funny, and I can't wait to watch his other films that I've heard so much about, including Best in Show and a Mighty Wind.
I am going to rate this movie a 9 for perfectly entertaining. It's not quite a masterpiece in my eyes (might have been if I were laughing more), but it's really very chuckle-funny and clever. Also, this movie might pass the test. I feel like I should own it because of my theater connection, but I may want to watch it one more time to confirm this. Ultimately, though, I'm glad I finally watched it at all. Waiting for Guffman was worth the wait!