Christopher Guest Mockumentaries

[Sam_Lowry]

@ArchiveGuy

This was supposedly on TV Guide’s website recently (copied from another board; if someone who’s registered can confirm, that’d be great):I think his Has-Been films (Tap, Wind) are much better than his Never-Were films (Show, Guffman). This will be hitting things closest to home (the movie business) so I hope he doesn’t pull any punches.

I found the same news on the IMDb.com Movie & TV News:

Meanwhile, the New York Observer is reporting that Christopher Guest will be taking on the Oscars in his next mockumentary. Citing unnamed sources, the magazine said that Guest, whose previous credits as a writer-director include Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show and A Mighty Wind, has decided to call his next film, For Your Consideration. (Guest himself has never been considered for an Oscar.)

I am super excited about this. While I love all the other Christopher Guest movies, I am such a film nerd and I never miss the Oscars, so I think this one could be the funniest to me.

[Stranger_On_A_Train]

@Miller

I love all of Guest’s movies, but I’ve noticed that, especially in A Mighty Wind, it doesn’t really work as a “fake documentary” any more. There are just too many scenes where it’s not believable that there’d be a camera crew present, such as the scene where Eugene Levy is in his motel room, listening to his neighbors have loud sex. Why is that being filmed? He’s just sitting in bed, reading.

You clearly haven’t seen many Errol Morris documentaries. His best, most candid moments come when the subject isn’t really paying attention. Ditto for the documentary, Crumb, about cartoonish Bob Crumb.

I agree, the mock-docs often veer toward being obviously set-up, but that leads to some of the best (or in the case of A Mighty Wind, poignant) moments.

And for the record my personal favorite is Best In Show, especially Fred Willard as the “guest” announcer brought in to spice up the show. “And to think that in some countries these dogs are eaten.”

Stranger

[Kaspar_Hauser]

“He went after her like she was made outta ham!”

[NoCoolUserName]

Watching Westminster this week, I turned to NoCoolSpouseName and said "Am I nuts? Something’s wrong with his feet. "

[jsc1953]

@Kaspar Hauser

Christopher Guest was also one of the driving forces, along with Michael O’Donoghue and John Belushi, of the National Lampoon Radio Hour in the 1970s. As you could imagine, Guest wrote a lot of song parodies and music-related sketches.

I used to read National Lampoon in the '70s, and recognize his name as a frequent contributer.

Someday I’m going to put together a family tree, showing how much humor in the past 30 years can trace its lineage to either National Lampoon, SCTV or SNL (or a combination thereof).

[Rufus_Xavier]

On November 3, 1984, 8 months after This is Spinal Tap was released, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer were regular cast members of Saturday Night Live, and Michael McKean was the guest host. One of the skits presented was named The Folksmen. Nineteen years later, Guest teamed up with Eugene Levy to expand that skit into A Mighty Wind. At the time, though, it probably looked, to the viewers of SNL, like “Spinal Tap” turned inside out. I mean, the actors are playing the same instruments, even.

I wonder what took them so long?

[Rillian]

@TommyTutone

Harry Shearer was also a regular on SNL at this time and was in a brief filmed ‘mockumentary’ on the show with Martin Short as two pioneers seeking to get Men’s Synchronized Swimming accepted into the Olympics (one of my all-time favorite skits).

My favorite SNL skit as well. Christoper Guest is also in that one as the coach of the two swimmers.

Coach: 1, 2, 3, 4 - here it goes. This is like a mirror between you, and then he goes this way, and then let’s say you were to point at each other. You’re doing the same thing, aren’t you? No, you’re not angry at him.

Gerald: No, I’m not.

Coach: No, you’re just pointing at him. “Hey, you! I know you! I know you!” Let’s hear the waggle. The waggle. Yes, just let me see this… [ waggles ] Yeah, you remember that… Maybe not.

[Saint_Sparky]

@Kaspar Hauser

“He went after her like she was made outta ham!”

Brings a tear to my face thinking about it. Only Fred Willard could pull off a line like that and be hilariously funny.