Waiting for Guffman **** (1996, Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy) – Classic Movie Review 1504

Funnymen Christopher Guest (This Is Spinal Tap, Best in Show) and Eugene Levy are the screen-writers for his amusing, good-natured 1996 ensemble comedy about a small Missouri town (Blaine) staging a pageant to celebrate its 150th anniversary.

Director Guest gives himself the plum part of off-off-Broadway director Corky St Clair who’s staging the show with a bunch of eager if none-too-brilliant amateurs. Then he asks theatre critic Guffman along to gives his views…

In a series of entertaining performances, Bob Balaban as the high-school music teacher, Catherine O’Hara and Fred Willard as married travel agents, Parker Posey as the Blaine fast-food Dairy Queen waitress and Larry Miller as the town mayor are especially funny.

With lots of daffy characters, funny lines and good gags, what more can you ask?

Don Lake, David Cross, Linda Kash, Paul Dooley (as UFO abductee!), Matt Keeslar, Brian Doyle-Murray, Paul Benedict and Lewis Arquette are also in the cast.

It’s billed as A New Comedy From the Lead Guitarist of Spinal Tap.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1504

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