Waiting for Guffman
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Waiting for Guffman is a mockumentary by Christopher Guest. It stars a cast of actors who have come to form an acting troupe that has appeared in a series of Guest-directed mockumentaries.
The film's title refers to Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. Note that reading a synopsis of Godot will provide a spoiler for the film.
- See also
- A Mighty Wind, Best in Show, This is Spinal Tap
It is set in the fictional town of Blaine, Missouri. It chronicles the attempts of its talent-free residents to put on a show celebrating the burg's 150th anniversary. From the flamboyantly effeminate (but allegedly married) director Corky St. Clair (Guest) to the Dairy Queen girl (Parker Posey), the cast and crew scream incompetence. Furthermore, St. Clair has invited Guffman -- a Broadway producer -- to see the production, with the hopes that they will eventually make it to the Great White Way. The movie is a loving parody of community theater.
A running joke of the film is the fact that Guest as St. Clair is an extremely effeminate man with stereotypically gay behaviours but who purports to have a wife (whom nobody has ever met). In a plot twist, he has to take over the role of the rugged male character in the play. This he performs wearing rouge and eyeliner.
The musical that is staged contains a series of grating and poorly performed songs such as "Nothing Ever Happens on Mars," "Stool Boom" and a fan favourite "This Bulging River" which was removed but put on the DVD.
Along with Guest, the film stars Parker Posey as the Dairy Queen girl; Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard as a pair of married travel agents, and regular amateur performers; Bob Balaban as the "musical director" of the play; Lewis Arquette as an older citizen roped into being the narrator; Matt Keeslar as a handsome mechanic who Corky goes out of his way to get into the play; and the film's co-writer Eugene Levy as a Jewish dentist determined to discover his inner entertainer.
External links
- Waiting for Guffman Official Site (http://www.guffman.com)
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