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| Special Features: |
Widescreen anamorphic format.
Chapter selection.
Commentary by Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy.
Additional and deleted scenes with or without commentary.
Three screnes of production notes.
Cast list.
Trailer.
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| Video Format: |
Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1)
[SS-DL]
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| Languages: |
English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
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| Subtitles: |
English.
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| Captions: |
Yes
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| Casing: |
1-Disc Snap Case
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William Windom told me in an interview that he thought Christopher Guest was a genius after seeing "Waiting for Guffman." After seeing the movie, I have to agree with Mr. Windom’s assessment. "Waiting for Guffman" is a mockumentary ALA "This is Spinal Tap" which tells the story of talentless theater director Corky St. Clair (Christopher Guest) and his small Missouri theater troop as they put on a play to celebrate the town’s sesquicentennial. When word that New York theater critic Guffman will be on hand for opening night, the cast and crew are aflutter with anticipation of national fame. Written by Christopher Guest and co-star Eugene Levy (American Pie), "Waiting for Guffman" is screwball farce made all the more funny because the cast plays it straight. I almost had a seizure from laughing (of course it may have been the vodka.)
Corky St. Clair is an outlandishly gay, outrageously dressed and stylistically challenged theater director living in the small town of Blaine Missouri. Blaine is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary. Blaine MO. Was named after the frontier’s man who lead settlers to what he thought were the shores of California. The fact that he was 1500 miles short didn’t seem to bother the settlers. Their descendants aren’t much smarter. Blaine also became famous for its chairs and the first UFO abduction in 1948. These are the historical and hysterical facts around which Corky St. Clair weaves his magic.
His acting troop includes the bubble-headed, sexy Dairy Queen worker Libby Mae Brown (Parker Posey). The husband and wife team of thespian travel agents Ron and Sheila Albertson (Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara). Johnny Savage (Matt Keeslar) is a hunky young garage mechanic that Corky sees as a young Marlon Brando. Johnny’s uncle, Red (Brian Doyle Murrey) is wary of Corky’s intentions toward his nephew. Dentist turned first time actor Dr. Allan Pearl (Eugene Levy) rounds out this motley crew. Bob Balaban stars as Lloyd, the high school music teacher who envies Corky’s place in the dramatic community. Willard and O’Hara are great as the prima donnas of Blaine MO.. Parker Posey’s Libby Mae Brown is every redneck’s dream girl. I began to fantasize about her and Jamie Pressley’s character from "Joe Dirt" in a cat fight. Paul Dooley, Lewis Arquette and Paul Benedict all make impressive appearances.
As I said, what makes this movie work so well is the style of Guest’s direction. As in "Spinal Tap" these characters are totally devoted to their craft, even though they possess no talent whatsoever. There are numerous standout moments of comic genius. The audition scenes are a hoot. There is one scene in which Corky is, I guess he is dancing in his living room. He is wearing the outfit from the cover of the DVD. I thought I was going to rupture an intestine from laughing. If you are in the mood for a couple of insane fun, get "Waiting for Guffman."
Great movie! Fun extras. Good picture. OK sound.
Picture Quality: 8/10
Nice job by Warner Brothers. This isn't a visually exciting movie. It is very similar to "Spinal Tap" in its look. I noticed a few artifacts.
Sound Quality: 6/10
I guess I'm getting spoiled with the Home Theater Sound system. I prefer 5.1 surround sound. The sound is OK. Nothing special.
Menu: 10/10
Easy to navigate. Nice design.
Extra Features: 8/10
I liked the 30 minutes of deleted scenes. Watch them with and without the commentary track.
The commentary track is funny and informative.
The Final Word:
Great movie. I plan on buying it when the opportunity presents itself. I rented this from cafeDVD.com. Great online rental service. Log on. Make your pick. Wait four or five days. It comes in the mail. Send it back a week later in the postage pre-paid envelope. $3.00 rental and you don't even have to leave the house. What I like about cafeDVD.com is that they carry a huge catalog of popular, indies and foreign films. You can plan your weekend viewing on Monday. Order the DVDs and be pleasently surprised when they end up in your mail box on Friday.
Rusty White
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