For Your Consideration (2006)

The recurring motif in all of Christopher Guest's improvised comedies is exposing self-delusional people, whether they be community-theater enthusiasts, dog owners, or musicians. Since there are few places more teeming with self-deception than Hollywood, Guest's satire For Your Consideration could be accused of shooting fish in a barrel. Many of the comedic targets (erudite, ineffectual screenwriters; selfish agents; venal marketing experts) offer little challenge for satirists this talented. Thankfully, the performers -- especially the women -- do a great job of bringing an inner life to their characters, fleshing them out in ways that add an element of tragedy to some of the stinging jokes. You laugh at the ladies, but you may be surprised by how sympathetic they are. Parker Posey captures her character's conflicted feelings about wanting to do good work and wanting adulation by underplaying those emotions, a decision that makes her all the more notable in a film where most of the actors are laying it on thick. Catherine O'Hara's final monologue can best be described as "hysterical," as it encompasses every aspect of that word. She is at the end of her emotional tether, seemingly on the verge of a complete mental collapse, and yet she still manages to get big laughs from the audience. She walks a razor-thin emotional line, and never stumbles. It is a stunning two minutes that disturb and amuse in equal measure. One is left unsure whether to laugh or cry, and this probably expresses the conflicted feelings Christopher Guest has in real life toward his love for his work and the business he disdains, but which he finds himself forced to be a part of in order to do that work. The film has many moments that are screamingly funny, especially the scenes in "Home for Purim," the movie-within-the-movie. These are the first outright scripted scenes in any of Guest's otherwise-improvised films, and they allow the cast to show off more conventional comedy chops. Just seeing Jennifer Coolidge and Ricky Gervais occupy the same frame is momentous enough to make any comedy nerd laugh out of anticipation. While For Your Consideration never reaches the consistent comedic highs of Best in Show or the profound sadness of Waiting for Guffman, it does deliver both of those elements -- often simultaneously -- making it yet another solid film from Guest and his crew. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide