Bad but not that bad?

Cafe Society
1

I was watching “Waiting for Guffman” last night when it occurred to me the pageant wasn’t as bad as it should have been. I realized it was the music – or more properly, the musicians.

I’ve had children continuously involved in school and community music programs for more than a decade. I KNOW what bad music sounds like. It’s not just missed notes. Rented instruments sound harsh even when they’re tuned, tempo wanders from almost-but-not-quite-right to way off, musicians don’t come in or come out at the right moment and the overall effort sounds like a bunch of individuals with varying (but low) talent levels, rather than a cohesive unit.

In Guffman, the characters’ performances sucked, of course, and the musical score was amateurish, but the actual musicians performed very well.

Did I miss part of the joke? Were the musicians supposed to be good to show that Lloyd actually would have been a better director than Corky, or is it possible that professional musicians just can’t sound as bad as amateurs, even when they try?

2

I’m not sure I understand your question but if the musicians had been bad they would have distracted the viewer (of the movie) from the bad acting of the ensemble.

The musicians served the (sole) purpose of providing a backdrop for the musical. You need to forget they’re there to focus on the rest of the cast. You can’t forget they’re there if they’re playing badly.