I tried explaining to some friends why Christopher Guest’s films just don’t work for me. I find the improv in his movies feels very forced, as if each performer is going for what they feel the humor is instead of building something funny with their collaborators. Granted, I’ve only seen (in this order) For Your Consideration, Best in Show, and This Is Spinal Tap (which I only finished recently, and have to admit has some great moments). Still, every time someone brings up how brilliant Guest is I want to both disappear into the background or just proclaim my overall distaste for his work.
All that said, now that I’ve at least got Spinal Tap under my belt, I’m actually kind of eager to see Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind, if only to be able to have a comprehensive opinion on the guy. And who knows? Maybe I’ll flip for one of those. I doubt it, but for how much I dislike what I’ve seen, at the very least I find it makes for interesting conversation with people who love his stuff but might not be film nerds.
I’m happy I’m not the only one who isn’t a huge fan. Eugene Levy in false teeth talking about how he can’t dance, i.e. has two left feet, then (improv) no literally I have two left feet – that seems like a good example of how *not* to do comedy: take an easy gag quickly and stick to it. Same with the Chicago couple who first spotted each other at adjacent Starbucks.
Here I got all geared up to cry foul when David announced his worst film of the year (fearing it would be something absurd like Fury Road – oh who am I kidding, he’ll never watch it), only to find out it was a movie I had no desire to see in the first place. Crisis averted.
I tried explaining to some friends why Christopher Guest’s films just don’t work for me. I find the improv in his movies feels very forced, as if each performer is going for what they feel the humor is instead of building something funny with their collaborators. Granted, I’ve only seen (in this order) For Your Consideration, Best in Show, and This Is Spinal Tap (which I only finished recently, and have to admit has some great moments). Still, every time someone brings up how brilliant Guest is I want to both disappear into the background or just proclaim my overall distaste for his work.
All that said, now that I’ve at least got Spinal Tap under my belt, I’m actually kind of eager to see Waiting for Guffman and A Mighty Wind, if only to be able to have a comprehensive opinion on the guy. And who knows? Maybe I’ll flip for one of those. I doubt it, but for how much I dislike what I’ve seen, at the very least I find it makes for interesting conversation with people who love his stuff but might not be film nerds.
Well, This Is Spinal Tap is not a Christopher Guest film. I mean, he’s in it but it’s a Rob Reiner film.
– David
I’m happy I’m not the only one who isn’t a huge fan. Eugene Levy in false teeth talking about how he can’t dance, i.e. has two left feet, then (improv) no literally I have two left feet – that seems like a good example of how *not* to do comedy: take an easy gag quickly and stick to it. Same with the Chicago couple who first spotted each other at adjacent Starbucks.
Here I got all geared up to cry foul when David announced his worst film of the year (fearing it would be something absurd like Fury Road – oh who am I kidding, he’ll never watch it), only to find out it was a movie I had no desire to see in the first place. Crisis averted.
Oh, and I am now more excited to see Steve Jobs than ever.