Waiting for Guffman Reviews

This hilarious mock-u-mentary, starring Christopher Guest as the irrespressible Corky Sinclair is a joy to watch from start to finish, and boasts a great supporting, ensemble cast as well. It features Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Fred Willard and Parker Posey, in roles that you will recognize from real life.

The story centers around a small town and it's attempt to put together a musical production about the history of the town and it's people. It features all the bad talent that can be rounded up in the town and the trials and tribulations of Corky as he struggles to get his brainchild to the broadway stage.

I must warn you...the first time I watched this movie I hated it, the second time I thought was interesting. The third time I watched it I was quickly becoming a fan, and by the time I saw for the fifth time I was totally won over! So give it more than one viewing, it may take a while to appreciate it's true genius.

Rating: 5 - Best In Show Plus Rocky Horror Equals Guffman
Waiting for Guffman is another wonderful mockumentary from actor/director Christopher Guest (Spinal Tap, Best in Show) and cowriter/partner in crime Eugene Levy. The film highlights the big dreams and raw (very raw) talent of the five stars of 'Red, White and Blaine,' the celebratory musical commemorating Blaine, Missouri's 150th anniversary.

The humor in Guffman is of the cut-above variety, founded on relationships and underlined by the characters' hopes. Guest plays Corky St. Clair, a refugee from Broadway who has found a niche for his special abilities as the de facto King of Theater in Blaine. Levy plays the town dentist who is auditioning for the very first time. Parker Posey is the perky, poignant and perhaps pathetic ingenue who works at the Dairy Queen. Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard prove the maxim that matching sweatsuits betray an unhappy marriage. Bob Balaban plays Lloyd Miller the music director who is grounded in reality, although his suggestion that the cast might spend some of the rehearsal time actually practicing the songs and dances is met with hostility. As an ex-theater major from Hays, Kansas I found the characters 100% real even while laughing at the absurdity of their belief in the possibility that they might take their show to Broadway.

The musical itself would make a great cult movie in the vein of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The events commemorated include the settling of Blaine (in which a wagon train leader manages to convince an entire group of people that they've already reached California), the famous UFO sighting and alien encounter, and the founding of the stool-making business which drove Blaine's economy for generations.

The DVD is worth seeing just for the extra features. The commentary by Guest and Levy is more informative than funny. I got the impression that they were distracted from the commentary by the brilliance of certain scenes in the movie. The extra scenes, however, were hilarious. Waiting for Guffman was shot from a bare-bones script and the actors were encouraged to improvise most of the dialogue. From over 60 hours of footage the best scenes were selected: three of the original scenes that didn't get into the musical, an alternate ending for O'Hara and Willard, scenes with characters that never made it into the movie, and an explanation for why the dentist's wife has a Wisconsin accent.

Rating: 5 - The DVD Review!
First of all, I'm shocked to see so many references to the VHS edition of this movie! This should be in any dvd collectors library. This is one of those rare comedy gems that often gets overlooked by a public feeding on Dumb and Dumber style comedies. Sorry, but there isn't any gross out humour here. Only scene after scene of brilliantly improved characters and situations that skewers the small town mindset and local theatre. Some of the greatest improv performers are here! Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Catharine O'Hara are some of the more familiar names. They all work their magic in front of the camera. These aren't lines being read from a script. They are moments of hilarity created on the spot as the actors get in the minds of their characters. If you are a fan of Spinal Tap, Best In Show, SCTV or Saturday Night Live, then you should find this quite funny. I have watched it repeatedly and still find subtle nuances that I didn't notice on earlier viewings. The DVD includes deleted scenes (also very funny) and commentary with Guest and Levy. Watch carefully for slices of your own personality in the various cast members. The truth is so funny it hurts. And perhaps that is why some people don't enjoy this movie.

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Waiting for Guffman