The Big Picture (1989) User Reviews

funny, slightly uneven "insider movie"

[hbs · 7/10 · 6 September 1999]

This movie has some slow moments, and I found the idea that Kevin Bacon's character, an aspiring directory, would leave his girlfriend (played by Emily Longstreth) for a bimbo-actress (played by Teri Hatcher and one of the film's weakest characters) pretty unconvincing. In general, I found the bimbo-actress subplot poorly done, and this was the slowest part of the movie. The other characters were done well, with an outstanding cameo by Martin Short as the aspiring director's agent -- the three scenes with Short would make the movie worthwhile by themselves in my opinion. J. T. Walsh was very good as well, as the fatuous studio head, and the gag at the end where the young director's career is revived was very enjoyable.

It's not as good as "The Player" or "Get Shorty", but if you like movies about making movies, you will probably like this one.

The director

[jotix100 · 7/10 · 19 March 2010]

Los Angeles is a city where one can find, almost at every turn, a director, a starlet, a producer, or a cinematographer if one happen to be in the right places. Nick Chapman, a young man from Ohio, is trying his hand at directing. We meet him as he is going to an award ceremony at an event where the best new short film directors are competing for a prize and a chance to make it in the business. Nick is not prepared for what happens after his film becomes the talk of the town.

Nick Chapman is in a relationship with Susan, an architect just starting her career. His good friend is Emmet Sumner, a cinematographer struggling to make it in the industry. Nick is being courted to sign in with different people so he can go to his next project. He has written a screenplay for a film that he wants to direct. Never, in his wildest dreams, he never imagined the strange world he is getting into, and the weird people he will have to deal with while getting his picture produced! For starters, Nick's agent, Neil Sussman, whom we meet during a luncheon at one of those trendy restaurants, is a creature from another planet.

The next person Nick gets involved with is Allen Habel, a producer that sees potential in Chapman. As Nick pitches the film, Allen is already changing the way he feels will attract viewers, which has nothing to do with the original concept. Allen wants to set the picture on a beach, not in a cabin in the woods, while it is snowing, as Nick has conceived it. To make matters worse, Allen invites the young man to a party at his house that turns out to be a disaster as Nick gets to meet the film capital's fauna and flora, and ends up losing Susan.

Nick gets dazzled at first, but when Allen Habel's business goes bad, he is left on his own. Added to all that, he doesn't have any money, so he has to look for any kind of job in order to survive. All his big shot friends drop him like a hot potato. No one will take his calls. Nick having broke with Susan and having betrayed Emmet, finds himself alone in the middle of all that phony world, until he meets a rock band and he makes a video of a song that becomes a hit. It is at this point Nick gets his creative powers back and as we leave him, he is directing his picture the way he wanted.

Christopher Guest, a witty genius in his own right, directed this movie, his first full length film. "The Big Picture" shows a great talented director that knows well that strange world of glitter and heartaches that is Hollywood. Christopher Guest has been involved in the movie industry for most of his life and it shows.

Kevin Bacon is an asset in any picture where he appears. His take on Nick Chapman is dead on. Mr. Bacon is an excellent actor, as he shows here. It is unfortunate Martin Short, who steals every scene he is in didn't get credit for being in the film. His agent must be a composite on the many characters the director, and him, must have met, at one time, or another.

Christopher Guest has a group of actors that are featured in his films. Michael McKean and Mr. Guest have a long history of collaboration. The late J.T. Walsh gives one of his best performances as Allen Habel. The rest of the ensemble cast is also notable, Teri Hatcher, Fran Dresher, and a goofy Jennifer Jason Leigh, among others.

Never having seen this film, we were lucky to catch it recently and it was worth the wait.

Innocent movie about innocence !

[elshikh4 · 7/10 · 9 July 2010]

It's a testimony and a message.

A testimony about a dreamy young artist who wanted to transmit his dreams to public, just to clash with the foundation which's responsible of that; so I loved the confused daydreams / changes of his original movie when it gets slain by the hungry, so cold, producer. And it's a testimony too about surrendering to this foundation in return for losing the innocent self, its dreams, and friends as well. At one dark point, the lead becomes as hungry, and so cold, as his producer. Not Hollywood, but all the big foundations can make you like this, turning you into a machine with no special dream.

Now the message is exceedingly true. It's about holding on to your innocence. So regardless of how many "Coffins From Hell" you'll going to make, just don't lose yourself in one. And don't forget the big picture, your big picture, because it's more important than anything. It takes a lot of time and troubles to win the ability of making your dreams true, but then don't forget what were them in the first place.

The secret of this movie's power and immortality is being so simple and accurate. No doubts it's some pieces of its maker's experience, and the movie is soft and sweet at delivering them. Let alone being optimistic too, since the lead at the end managed to win a big chance, his friends back, and his self. So according to this movie; dreaming and fulfilling can't be an impossible thing. Otherwise, look how it was made without a lesbian sex scene!

Despite looking small among other flashy and huge Hollywood moneymakers, this is really a big picture. Here, innocence is that true, defended, and winner.

PS: I'm writing about this movie after 12 years of watching it for the only time I did yet, and without having a paper of previous notices. Tells you a lot about its power and immortality.

Nick Chapman - an indie-film pioneer?

[Dasher111 · 3 April 2004]

THE BIG PICTURE is a breezy satire of the movie business from the mind of writer/director Christopher Guest (BEST IN SHOW, A MIGHTY WIND). It tells the story of Nick Chapman (Kevin Bacon), a young film director who gets put through the Hollywood wringer. Studio executives, agents, and starlets all prey on Nick's naivete and he eventually sells out, neglecting his girlfriend and best friend in the process.

What's interesting about THE BIG PICTURE is its grassroots portrayal of how Nick finally launches his Hollywood career - by starting small, doing his own thing, and involving his friends. Those are basically the tenets of independent film, which boomed in the decade following THE BIG PICTURE.

Nowadays, many of those indie directors - among them Steven Soderbergh, Robert Rodriguez, and Christopher Nolan - are getting hired to do big-budget studio pictures. In fact, Soderbergh's "sex, lies, and videotape" was released the same year as this movie.

Was Nick Chapman's "Pez People" video responsible for the indie film movement? Not likely, but THE BIG PICTURE was certainly an advocate of its principles.

Want to make a movie? - This is the one to see!

[Bing-18 · 6/10 · 23 April 1999]

This film is a wonderful example of how to get a movie made in Hollywood.

Kevin Bacon stars as a hot new director, with a prestigious award to his credit who has one aim, to make his script his way.

What then ensues is a sequence of events that should serve as a warning to people wanting to make their own movie on what to be careful of.

Bacon's script starts as a simple movie of two couples on holiday together, while one half of them is having an affair, thanks to various obstacles it transforms into a trashy affair of beaches, cheerleaders and very little story, called Beachnuts.

While this happens Bacon's personal life is also falling apart thanks to the lures of Teri Hatcher's struggling young actress.

Finally, an extremely low-budget music video puts Bacon back on the map and this time he sticks to his guns.

The message for young movie-makers is, do not lose sight of what you want and be aware of the extreme fickleness of Hollywood, which this demonstrates exceedingly well.

Beware the Hollywood machine.

[The-Sarkologist · 7/10 · 22 October 2011]

This is a strange movie about a young film student, Nick Chambers (Kevin Bacon), who wins an award and is picked up by a producer Alan Hale. Nick has some good friends and a loving girlfriend and a great idea for a simple movie. He is also very innocent and naive and basically is chewed up by the Hollywood machine and spat out.

The movie reveals how the Hollywood dream is not that great, and it is only through luck that Nick actually makes it. In the film there is another guy who did not win a trophy but he seemed to have made it big. Nick believes that he has made it as well, and quickly leaves his old friends for his new ones. It also seems that Alan is prying Nick away from his friends and setting him up with Hollywood friends, such as the actress Gertrude.

Suddenly Alan Hale is axed and all of his projects are canceled. Nick finds that he is now untouchable and left in the streets with not money and no friends. He slowly watches how everything is taken away from him and reminded out how big a dream he really had. His former landlord claims that he was a director that was spat out, as if making it harbringer of things to come, and then reminded when he is applying for a job as a waiter, that everybody wants to make it big in Hollywood.

It is only fortune, and a bit of vision, that brings Nick back. He runs into an old school college that introduces him to a band that wants to make a video, and he does. At that time he is trying to rebuild his relationships. It is interesting to see how pessimistic Nick is because he is always expecting the worse and getting the best. His ex-girlfriend threw him out yet when he came to her again she welcomed him, and even visited him again. His old Camera-man friend whom he had let down, was still welcoming to him and said, "I was always your friend." This contrasted the people he had met at Hollywood, who were his friends when he was big, and dumped him when he had lost it all.

This movie is good, and has a fantasy feel to it. The cinematography creates a more dreamlike world, but it is a dream where the good becomes bad and is only restored through some fortuitous move. What this movie shows me though is who one's friends really are. His true friends remained his friends while his Hollywood friends only spoke to him when they wanted something.

Under-appreciated Satire

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 11 May 2016]

Film school grad Nick Chapman (Kevin Bacon) thought his career was made after his award winning short film, but discovered Hollywood wasn't as easy as it seems.

Greenlit by David Puttnam of Columbia Pictures, the president was ousted two weeks after production began, and the subsequent regime at the studio, according to Guest, were unable to figure out what could be done with the film as many executives at the studio didn't like the film because they felt like they were being brutally satirized in it. Columbia quietly gave The Big Picture a limited theatrical release (despite opening to positive reviews) before sending it to video.

With all the names attached o this film, the clever writing and positive message, it is amazing this one slipped under the radar. It might satirize Hollywood, but by no means do I feel it insults it or calls out anyone in particular (though, who knows what the writer had in mind).

I especially enjoyed the role played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. She may be one of the best actresses of modern times, no one seems to recognize it. Between "Fast Times" (1982) and "Hateful Eight" (2015), no one seems to have noticed her. And why not? She was dynamite in so many things, and this film is the evidence.

tinsel town spoof needs sharper teeth

[mjneu59 · 5/10 · 7 November 2010]

No one can blame the people who work there for not daring to make a true Hollywood satire: it would, after all, be their own careers at the butt of every joke. Which may explain why this mild lampoon of modern movie-making - the parties, the pretensions, the deals, the hype - tactfully avoids hitting its intended targets too hard. Kevin Bacon is the aspiring director courted by Tinsel Town royalty (agents and producers) after winning an AFI student film award; he's a talented and honest guy in an industry often unable to recognize either virtue, and it isn't long before he loses himself to the shallow rewards of Hollywood status: fast cars, faster women, and so forth. Viewers may recognize in the credits the names of some of the folk responsible for the definitive rock 'n' roll spoof 'This Is Spinal Tap', but any other similarity between the two features is entirely coincidental. The new film is almost as superficial as the movies it makes fun of: it's a comedy about selling out that sells itself out for the obligatory (if nicely ironic) happy ending. Watch for many familiar faces in uncredited cameos.

Under-rated film of the 80's

[pwalkerfm · 8/10 · 10 July 2010]

This is an under-rated late 80's film that captures the changing entertainment scene of that decade, with much humor and irony.

While the usual "Hollywood is phony" theme exists here, that story is always interesting, and it really scores when it reminds us of how success can be gained and lost quickly.

Martin Short is the uncredited star here, with a couple of hilarious scenes, the best one at the outdoor patio restaurant where he praises Bacon without knowing any of his work. All in all, a nice movie about movies, with some special surprise locations for movie buffs!

The late J.T. Walsh offers a subtle performance here, with one of my favorite (perhaps a somewhat spoiler line, but nothing to do with the plot)...Bacon: "I'm from Ohio", with Walsh's comeback, "my first wife is from Illinois", as in everything outside of LA is one place. Perfect deadpan humor.

Made me glad I'm a simple country boy

[helpless_dancer · 7/10 · 20 May 2002]

When up and coming new director Nick Chapman comes to Hollywood to make his mark he finds a strange new world. His ego immediately goes red line and he dumps all his old friends as he desperately tries to fit into this unknown place. By the time he realizes things aren't as they seem he comes close to losing everything. Entertaining look at a bizarre cast of characters in oddball situations.

The Big Picture (1989)

[fntstcplnt · 5/10 · 10 November 2019]

Directed by Christopher Guest. Starring Kevin Bacon, Emily Longstreth, J. T. Walsh, Teri Hatcher, Michael McKean, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Don Franklin, Martin Short, Dan Schneider, Kim Miyori, Tracy Brooks Swope, Gary Kroeger. (PG-13)

Uneven satire about wheeling and dealing in Hollywood, with Bacon as a film school grad trying to get a movie made on his terms, but he finds himself compromising his integrity and artistic vision in the process. Covers pretty familiar ground to anyone remotely aware of the ins-and-outs of movie-making; has a drowsy, slapdash quality to it, going for the easy, low-key punchlines (no matter how incisive) more often than the surprising ones. A few too many dry spells, too, and the weakly-integrated fantasy sequences misfire almost every time. Consistently exudes an aura of truth even amid exaggeration, suggesting that one or all of the writers have witnessed or experienced many similar incidents in their own lives. Most of the more distinctive and/or entertaining characters are relegated to the sidelines (Leigh as a flaky boho artist, Short as an eccentric agent, etc.); the characters we're supposed to like and root for, meanwhile--Bacon, Longstreth, McKean--are a bit on the bland side. Watchable, but considering the level of talent on both sides of the camera, has to rate as a disappointment. Directorial debut of co-scripter Guest (a rare non-"mockumentary" for him as either writer or director); he'd later do a better industry send-up with "For Your Consideration."

50/100

Bacon 'n' Guest, makin' their best!

[nixskits · 9/10 · 19 December 2009]

It's hard to believe it's been twenty years since this came out. Kevin Bacon is established as one of the best American actors (also, one of the greats who've never been nominated for an Oscar!). Teri Hatcher is the star of a huge television hit. Christopher Guest still makes brilliant films and gives his actors more freedom than almost any other director today. And my affection for "The Big Picture" only grows fonder as the time passes.

In "Rolling Stone" magazine's 1989 "Hot Issue", then newcomer Steven Soderbergh was profiled as that season's hot new filmmaker. One remark was about how students in LA based film schools have their works shown at big events, attended by many hot shots in the entertainment industry. Meaning, a young woman or man could have a "bomb" of sorts on their hands before even turning professional! Not the most nurturing environment for youthful talent.

Bacon's "Nick Chapman" gets the full treatment as a guy on the fast track after winning his school's big prize for his project. And things don't go wonderfully well after he starts meeting the movers and shakers in his new world. The late, great J.T. Walsh is a studio head (for the time being) who seduces Chapman into believing all his dreams are possible. Michael McKean is Chapman's friend, a cinematographer who isn't necessarily the first choice to shoot his debut. And John Cleese, Martin Short and Jennifer Jason Leigh have great turns as Chapman's different associates that can't really stop the grimly funny runaway train he's on until his self respect finally returns and he sees everything for what it really is.

Most films about film-making are not that good. This is a major exception to that rule. Very bitter, but also very sweet. Just like life!

Good, but not quite a full-on comedy

[jdollak · 7/10 · 18 January 2012]

There are a lot of movies that I like about the process of making a movie; Living In Oblivion, The TV Set, or even Guest's own For Your Consideration. I hadn't heard of this movie until it was brought up in a comments thread about a TV episode with a similar plot.

The movie starts well, with some humor about student films. The plot mostly is just about the artistic compromises, combined with the reputation-focused existence of the Hollywood set.

This is a very mildly absurdist portrayal. My biggest problem is that they didn't take the satire too far. Every compromise that was suggested could be interpreted as being an acceptable change. But the humor is also softened without the presence of someone who points out how silly these changes are. Bacon's performance seems too accepting of compromising his ideals.

It's a memorable movie, and the humor is enjoyable, but it just needed to go a little bit further.

Bigly Stupid

[thesar-2 · 2/10 · 7 September 2019]

30th Anniversary: 1989 - the Best Year in Cinema Marathon Film #68/100: "The Big Picture" (1st Viewing.)

Always curious about this farce on Hollywood and I realized: I wasted my thoughts. This was predictable, boring, unoriginal, uninspiring and rarely have I rolled my eyes in a third act like this movie. I see it meant to say something, but was so generic, safe and bland, it's never worth a recommendation.

The Big Picture is cookie-cutter at best. Skip.

Martin Short steals the show

[karma90036 · 30 April 2003]

This is a good film that is totally stolen by Martin Short. The scenes including his agent character are some of the funniest I've ever seen in a movie. He's absolutely brilliant.

If you can see past the blinding light of Short's performance, there's a likable movie here. Kevin Bacon and his character's storyline are compelling and involving. There are loads of funny cameo-type roles. There's one scene in particular that stands out. It's not funny, it's heartbreaking. I'm talking about the scene where Kevin Bacon picks up Michael McKean in his Porsche, gets a cell phone call, and asks McKean to step out of the car to take the call. Man, that's harsh. It's testament to Bacon's acting charm that his character can be redeemed at all after a stunt like that.

The one thing that seemed consistently not to work here is the fantasy sequences. The movie would play better without them.

Satiric 'insider's' view of Hollywood

[dave13-1 · 6/10 · 3 May 2012]

Bolstered by an early appearance by Teri Hatcher as a vapid starlet, The Big Picture takes a smirky look at the corruption of the creative process by the know-nothing power brokers who run Hollywood. A recent film school graduate gets a chance to direct his first feature, providing he is willing to take advice. It seems everybody has 'suggestions' for the novice director, and the clout to cram them down his throat, especially a pervy producer played with slimy grace by J.T.Walsh. The movie begins to mutate out of his control with funny and disturbing results. Finally he finds himself having to fight to regain control of his film and career.

Hollywood movies about Hollywood movie making have proved a rather mixed bag over the years, surprising given the supposed intimacy with the subject matter the films' creators theoretically enjoy. A botched technical detail here or there in a film about Arctic exploration might be forgiven, but Hollywood ought to know its own turf. Luckily, this particular addition to the Hollywood-on-Hollywood genre has a fairly authentic ring. Indeed, the more you understand about the Hollywood movie-making process, the more interesting and entertaining this film is. Yet the movie has enough striking visuals and funny and surprising bits, as to make it accessible to anyone.

Welcome to the movies

[jbels · 7/10 · 8 June 1999]

Big Picture is a likable if slow at times Hollywood tale. Kevin Bacon and Emily Longstreth make an attractive couple, but the characters on the sidelines give the film its juice. Best is Martin Short as the gushing agent. He is right on the money and so indicative of Hollywood.

An overlooked film on the movie industry - biting satire

[goya-4 · 6/10 · 28 September 2000]

A young film maker (Kevin Bacon) is hired by a big studio after his short wins an award, but he sees his vision get changed and distorted by producers agents, starlets and everyone else who gets near the film..and Bacon has to decide whether to film his vision or what the studio wants...

A movie that probably deals the truth about how movies are made ...tons of cameos by stars and by SCTV alum..an overlooked movie definitely worth a rental..

On a scale of one to ten..6

big picture

[mossgrymk · 5/10 · 21 May 2021]

This is early Guest (before he learned to satirize without sneering).

Overlooked classic

[jnunes-1 · 9/10 · 29 April 2003]

I've watched this many times, and feel that this ranks with the best work of Christopher Guest. Kevin Bacon is outstanding as the idealistic young director Nick Chapman, who falls prey to the jaded Hollywood lifestyle - long before he can afford it personally or financially. Martin Short's role as Nick's agent is hilarious, and other good performances are turned in by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Terri Hatcher, and many others. This is Spinal Tap for the film industry, and well worth a look.

Entertaining If Somewhat Over-the-Top Expo of Hollywood: "The Player" Meets "Play it Again, Sam"

[classicalsteve · 7/10 · 4 July 2016]

There are a lot of clichés you can use to describe Hollywood and the Entertainment industry, such as "Show Biz flies on the seat of its pants" or "The industry doesn't make movies to uplift people; it makes movies to make money." The one you always hear about and is probably the most true is simply "When you're hot, you're hot, and when you're not, you're not." "The Big Picture" co-written and directed by Christopher Guest is a film about being "hot" and "not" in the entertainment industry. The story centers around Nick Chapman (Kevin Bacon), recent AFI winner of the best student film, and the film begins with the awards ceremony. AFI (American Film Institute) is a film school in Los Angeles which boasts that its graduates become successful in the entertainment industry, although when you look at lists of the top talent in the industry, almost none are alumni. (The likes of Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, J.J. Abrams, and countless others never attended film school. Even Guest didn't attend film school but did graduate from a masters acting program in New York.)

At the reception after the awards ceremony, Nick is approached by cut-throat studio executive Allen Habel (J.T. Walsh) who says he believes in Nick's talent. He then lands an agent, Neil Sussman (Martin Short), the ultra-sleazy and smarmy entertainment agent. Nick then has an appointment with Habel where he pitches a new movie idea. Several of the scenes with Habel involve some kind of flames, and I couldn't help but think his character loosely mirrors the Devil. Habel then begins suggesting "dramatic" changes to fundamental aspects of his original script. What had been a manage a tois between two guys and a girl up in a northern snowy area, becomes two girls and a guy at a summer beach house, and it's the two girls who "cheat" on the guy! And originally the film was supposed to be about 40-something's, and that changes to 20-something's. But Nick appears to have received the "green light", industry parlance for receiving funding and backing for a film.

Emmet Sumner (Michael McKean) and his Asian-American wife are two of his best friends. Sumner is also a struggling cinematographer. He also has a loyal girlfriend, Susan Rawlings (Emily Longstreth), who is very attractive but not a supermodel type. (Sometimes she appeared intentionally dowdy to contrast with the movie star types.) He then meets Gretchen (Teri Hatcher) at one of Habel's parties, and when Nick lets on he might be directing a new film, Gretchen comes onto him like a mosquito attracted to flesh, and no less than in front of his girlfriend! Fran Drescher of "The Nanny" fame has a small role as Habel's wife.

Nick then begins to disassociate with the people in his inner circle and starts to live the "life" of a Hollywood "player". He trades in his dumpy 1959 convertible for a cool new car replete with car cell phone, which was massively expensive to own in the 1980's. He starts hanging out with Gretchen and he dumps his girlfriend, renting new expensive accommodations in Beverly Hills. He also starts to blow off his friends, including Sumner. Just weeks before shooting, he reads that the studio has dumped Habel and all his projects are "dead". And then the people in the industry who had been so excited about the prospects of his new talent, avoid him like damaged goods. Even Gretchen subtly dismisses him, because he's no longer a "player" in the industry, and his agent doesn't give him much time. Now, Nick has next-to-nothing and has to fight for odd jobs around the LA Area.

Generally speaking, an entertaining one-watch which is a satirical but not entirely untrue critique of the Hollywood scene. A few of the interesting aspects of this film are the inter-splicing of fantasy scenes, a bit like Woody Allen's "Play it Again, Sam". Often the scenes ring of old movies from the 40's, including a war film, a film noir, a Frank Capra picture, and even a 1960's beach movie, among others. There are also the obligatory cameos with Eliot Gould, Roddy McDowell, and John Cleese. Also, there are many "in-jokes" about the entertainment industry itself. It is no secret that many women will try to seduce men whom they believe will become "players" in the industry. One tip-off I learned after having lived in Los Angeles for a time was that if a woman you're dating only talks about the entertainment industry and nothing else, she may be looking for a career stepping-stone, and not a relationship. At one point, smarmy agent Martin Short talks about reading some scripts "almost all the way through" which is industry short-hand that he probably read the first line or two of the synopsis and the first page. If there's anything which can be said of the industry, it's people never say what they mean. And why should they? It's a world full of "actors" in every sense.

An early winner from genius Guest

[mconklin · 10/10 · 10 July 2001]

Thank God for Christopher Guest. Anyone who loved him as Nigel Tufnel in Spinal Tap and has since appreciated his mockumentaries "Waiting for Guffman" and "Best in Show" should take a look back at The Big Picture. As with his other films, the humor is subtle and a bit "inside," but the more you see it, the more you love it. Kevin Bacon and J.T. Walsh are perfect, and Martin Short steals every scene he's in. (Added bonus: the Pez People song at the end, obviously sung by Michael McKean, sounds like Spinal Tap with keyboards instead of guitars. Very funny.)

A fun look at the film business

[akafilms · 7/10 · 29 August 2017]

If you are thinking about being a filmmaker, you need to see this. It has so many real world aspects that are Hollywood. Christopher Guest does a great job on his first feature. The funniest part is Martin Short as the goofy agent. I wish I'd seen this before I got involved in the business. I would have been prepared. It holds up well considering it is 28 yrs old. The script structure is very commercial in that everything moves as it should and we all live happily ever after. Terry Hatcher is quintessential as an actress out for herself and her next role. I think my favorite line is "I fought for you". Kevin says this to his DP when in fact he didn't fight for him. This has happened to me in real life.

One of the worst films you'll ever see unless your an aspiring filmmaker or a cinephile.

[alex_celmare · 4/10 · 23 July 2023]

One of the worst movies you'll ever see unless you're an aspiring filmmaker or a cinephile.

Where to begin? The Kevin Bacon led film attempts to depict Hollywood from the perspective of someone entering the system, but before they sell out. At least that's what's depicted in the movie. The young director played by Kevin Bacon makes an award winning short film, then is approached by a megalomaniac producer who promises him a hit, as long as he does what the producer says. One by one the director gives up his creative vision to the produce, leading him into a rabbit hole.

If you want to know whether he makes it out or not I suppose you'll have to watch the film, because I'm not going to spoil it here. But what a waste of an hour and a half of your life it would be. Themes? I guess don't sell out your ideas. But that's about it and it takes to long to get across. Everything in this movies' a joke, and scenes switch mid scene to fantasies depicting how the scene feels to our main character, like approaching the film awards two minutes into the film becomes him entering a Nazi prison camp. An excellent idea but the way it's done is just... goofy. Was the movie about a director even made by a director? I guess technically it had to be. The acting is just ok and the filmmaking resembles a tv movie, especially in the direction and cinematography.

However, this film has one redeeming quality. And you have to be a particular type of person for this to apply to you. If you are a fellow filmmaker or cinephile, you might think this movie is ok. It actually didn't feel this long to me because in my every day life I related to a lot of the things our main character does. If that's you, I recommend this film as it gives you a bit of perspective on the people behind the camera who make the films we love. But if that's not you, don't waste your time, there are better things to watch.

Christopher Guest comedy

[pianissimo_550 · 27 March 2007]

"The Big Picture" was written and directed by Christopher Guest. It is a satire of the film business told with a lot less venom than 'This is Spinal Tap'.Nick Chapman is at a prize ceremony where his own film is in competition.He is there with his girlfriend Susan.The master of ceremonies is the film actor Eddie Albert.What we have here is a re-telling of the Faust story by way of the film industry.Nick is offered a budget to make a film by Allen Habel the studio head.Sounds great, though Allen played by the late J.T.Walsh has his own ideas how the film should be made and Nick has to grit his teeth. Nick has a friend called Emmet who is a cameraman -- he betrays him and this is followed by him ruthlessly dumping Susan.In a lighter vain he acquires an agent called Neil who barely seated in a restaurant gives someone his beady eye and says "I'm not talking to you"-- Martin Short as Neil is hilarious and steals every scene he is in.For Nick everything goes belly up .Kevin Bacon is excellent as Nick and takes you on his character arc of a nice man selling out and becoming totally unsympathetic, learning his lessons and returning to the way he was before -- wiser.Emily Longstreth as his girlfriend is alluring and truthful.J.T Walsh as Allen coveys with deadpan hilarity the illusion of power -- What a great loss to acting he was!