The story of a young award winner of a filmmaker's competition going through the trials and tribulations of trying to get "his" first feature film made is given a wonderful treatment by Christopher(Spinal Tap)Guest. It's a cynical and hysterical look at how Hollywood is bent and how it can make anyone bend and eventually submit to its neurosis.



Unlike many of favorable reviewers I'm not a fan of Christopher Guest's later works and that's not just because I'm envious of him being married to Jamie Leigh Curtis(lucky dog). I don't find Guffman or Best of Show more than mildly amusing at best. Save for Bob Balaban in Guffman(When Sparky comes back, I almost bust a gut).



Sometimes artists do their best work up front. I like Woody Allen's first three pictures the best(What's Up Tiger Lily, Take the Money and Run, Bananas). I think this is the case here. Guest hit gold. Great script, terrific performances by an incredible ensemble cast. A near genius(I'm gonna steal one of the other reviewer's word here because it's so perfect, kudos and thanks) "turn" by JT Walsh(alas, another "great" dying so soon before his time like Warren Oates and Robert Shaw). Fabulous work by Martin Short, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Dan Schneider, Jason Gould, Wakter Olkewicz and seriously I could keep writing names for another 5 or 6 lines. There are tons of people in this sublime comedy.



Its only drawbacks are that it has the misgivings of be made in the Eighties with all its trappings and a rather sloppy reunion scene(Bacon/McKean)that comes off as way too cloying. Other than that this is a rare comic treat for anyone who can see the cynical side of Hollywood.



Someone said comparing this to The Player was like comparing Bagger Vance to Caddyshack. I'm not quite sure which one is suppose to be good and which is suppose to be sub-par. Caddyshack is a classic and so The Big Picture. I am a big, big fan of Altman and The Big Picture is even par with The Player. If either were more biting I would give the nod to The Big Picture. Though, Richard E Grant's performance is almost as good as Walsh's.



Nick's(Kevin Bacon)flights of fancy are hysterical. This is an inspired and unfortunately one-of-a-kind comedy.