Waiting for Guffman (Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy) "Here's the Remains of the Day lunchbox. Kids don't like eating at school, but if they have a Remains of the Day lunchbox they're a lot happier." -- Christopher Guest
Confound it, I seem to be giving five star ratings to a lot of movies I've recently watched. But that's because I've been revisiting some of my favourites, and Waiting for Guffman certainly has to qualify as a sentimental and personal favourite with few equals. It's one of those infectious treasures you want to share with others, a hidden pearl amidst what can sometimes seem like an endless sea of terrible comedies.
The film plays like a documentary, but provides copious laughs on a scale to rival any of the great comedies. The first time I saw it, I watched it alone, however two friends of mine were studying in another room. They thought they were going to have to take me to the hospital because I was howling so loudly.
Will everyone laugh as much as I did and still do? Perhaps not. After all, Waiting for Guffman is about the goings-on of a small theatrical troupe in Blaine, Missouri ("A little town with a big heart in the heart of a big country" the town mayor proudly proclaims). Since I have personally been a member of a few volunteer-based theatre companies over the years, I find I get an extra kick out of the film, because it so eerily understands the personalities, conflicts and scenarios that come from being involved with local drama. However, one need not have any stage experience to tap into its different levels of hilarity.
Blaine's most dubious ingénue Corky St. Clair (the fabulous Christopher Guest) has been asked to handle directing a production of "Red, White, and Blaine", a celebration of the small town's 150th anniversary (its "sesquicentennial"). Corky turns to veterans such as Ron and Sheila Albertson (a pompous Fred Willard and a dynamic Catherine O'Hara) to play key characters; they're a married couple who work on their scenes together at home when they're not running the local travel agency. He also recruits the Dairy Queen employee Libby Mae Brown (the delectable Parker Posey) and town dentist Dr. Allan Pearl (the magical Eugene Levy), whose Johnny Carson impersonations are more painful than a root canal. Also along for the ride are Clifford Wooley as the play's narrator (Lewis Arquette, as the self-professed "Old Fart"), fey Corky's unspoken crushee Johnny Savage (Matt Keeslar), and music conductor Lloyd Miller (Bob Balaban), who isn't used to having pass the baton over to anyone else, particularly Corky.
The title of the film comes from a scene in which a letter arrives from the Oppenheimer Institute, stating that a representative named Mort Guffman (Paul Benedict) will be coming from New York to observe the production. It sends the cast and crew into a frenzy, as they blindly set their sights on going to Broadway (this includes Corky, who asks the town council for $10,000 in order to deliver a "sweet-smelling production"). The rest of the plot needs not be divulged, however after watching the group through the various stages of rehearsal, the centerpiece of the film has to be the play itself, as an entire community gathers in the school gymnasium to watch "Red, White, and Blaine" in all its splendour.
Christopher Guest also directed the piece, which features a lot of improvisation and short scenes. Having an exceptional cast on hand is key, but more importantly, Guest has siphoned a lot of his talent from former members of the Second City comedy troupe. The seasoned comedians adeptly embrace their characters with complete solemnity, which provides a dénoument that may be inevitable, but is surprisingly heartwarming all the same. Will these disillusioned folkies pursue the film and stage careers they think they've got the talent for? Ask certain real-life members of local theatre companies how good they think they are, and the answers may in fact overlap...
This is the third review of Waiting for Guffman I've written over the past few years. I've probably watched it about 20 times now, and I never get tired of it. The confidence in its execution continues to delight me six years later. Take any five minutes of Guffman and match it against any Adam Sandler comedy. Or Chris Kattan. Or Chris Tucker. Or Chris Rock. Or any other Chris comedian you can think of. Those five minutes will be sesquicentennially better; I guarantee it.
