The TV Set

source: The TV Set

Producer and screenwriter Mike Klein(David Duchovny,whose dry,stoic demeanor actually serves him even BETTER for comedy than drama)has decided to pour part of his life story into a script and a project for a TV series. Through about four months and plenty of experience with executives,test groups,agents,directors,crew and actors,he will most certainly come to regret that. Over that period of time,Mike watches in various shades of horror,disbelief,disappointment and despair as the personal story of his brother's suicide and how it affect his life turn into a sterilized,sexied-up and contrived network "ratings-getter". All the while,he's soft-pedaled by his loyal but woefully superficial agent(Judy Greer,who gets plenty of chance to shine here),put off by an oblivious director(Willie GArson)and getting his project raped by a team of network air-suckers led by a guile-as-natural-as-breathing chief of programming(Sigourney Weaver). Director Jake KAsdan dials it down from previous effort--more from the unexpectedly poignant "Orange County" than the dry,strange and sharp "Zero Effect"--to make a film that is wryly documenting the degradation of dreams,ideas and creativity in favor of ratings and profit. The complaints of this show that I've been reading have been two things mostly: pacing and Ducovny's acting. On the first count,I'd say the pacing was intentionally set to show how the creative process can die a slow and painful death due to plenty of "committee". As for Ducovny,well,he is what he is. Take it or leave it. As said before,he seems to work better for comedy since he doesn't feel the need to EVER punch up the lines,and to me,comedy is much better when the actors involved AREN'T trying to hit the marks. The best performances here were probably by Greer,Justine BAteman(as NAtalie,Mike's very pregnant,very patient,no-nonsense wife),Ioan Gruffudd(spelling?)(as the British producer who senses that he's losing control of both his personal AND private lives),Lindsay Sloan(as a vain,in-sincere hot,young actress. I know,I know...is there any other kind?)and Fran Kranz(as the over/under-acting douche who's letting his modest success get to his head). I'd be lying if I said this film was of superior quality,of course. My main(or chief)complaint is that this film is done at such an economy of information and plot that one might think that writer/director KAsdan was under a time and money constraint to make this show go into the can. I won't spoil the ending,but it feels like it was almost MADE to create a level of Love-it-or-Hate-it debate among viewers. Overall,this film does what it sets out to do,which is namely to offer an acidic,subtle(perhaps a little TOO much so)and funny account of the "creation" process of television. It may go over some heads,and it certainly isn't a perfect concoction,but it worked for me. Of course,it didn't do any favors for MY ambitions of creating a TV show(or movie for that matter),but I suppose it should be more of a cautionary tale than preventive. I sure hope so,anyway.

Its a simple, true story that pulls everybody in, who wants to see the reality of that business and who wants to take for the leading character. When this tragicomedy touches you, you are on the right way, leaving the standard comedy besides you and heading towards the easy listening of truthfulness moments. David Duchovni is much better than I thought and well, you haven't to complain about Sigourney Weaver and Ioan Gruffudd. Also Fran Kranz comes to grips with his role, sometimes more than you can take:). He and Duchovni stands for the best laughters and the most embarrassing moments. Go out and see that movie.

7 out of ten. Why? Because it works as a send up of TV and because, the ice sculpture looked like the alien Sigorny Weaver once did battle with. (I think it was supposed to be a polar bear but the shooting angle was carefully chosen to make the joke. Then the Hollywood machine -- rating us all with zero intelligence as they like to do sooo often -- got Sigorney to virtually tell us the joke in the dialogue. Ho Hum). Now, I am a fierce critic of movies, as anyone who had read most of my "reviews" on here will know. (If I hate it I don't review it I just stone it to death). This however, was a delightful change and a pleasantly funny movie. Apart from some of the background characters going over the top, everyone played a great part. David Duchovny as Mike, was superb as the suffering writer having his entire script stolen from him and re- written in dumb down mode (Something Hollywood would never do, of course!) played his role to perfection. No, that it is not a spoiler! Sigourney Weave as Lenny, a sort of, emotionally dead, pseudo-logical, ratings obsessed monster, played the role of her human version of the Alien perfectly. If she had dribbled some slime she could have been that very monster. Everyone did their part and everyone did it well (Except for the O.T.T. background characters on the TV sitcom set). This is not a movie to tax your brain and not one to kill it off like many Amercian "comidies" (sic)are today. It is exactly the kind of thing to watch when you are too exhausted to think too much and way too bored to want to. It will deliver just the right amount of pick me up. Watch it! It is worth the money and the time.

Mike Klein (David Duchovney) is trying to produce a TV show he's written. And, while the network folks SAY they love the idea, the vacuous idiot from programming (Signourney Weaver) does her best to slowly destroy all that is original and brilliant and reduce it to yet another banal sit-com. I read a book some time ago that talked about the creative process by which movies are made in Hollywood. Essentially, a story is written, re-written and changed so much that by the time the film gets to theaters, if at all, it's absolutely nothing like the original story. This, then, is very much like you see in "The TV Set", as a very good television show idea is created and how, over time, idiots manage to destroy everything that made it so good. The story is very insightful and clever....and a must for TV/movie buffs. My only reservation is that some folks will not like the movie because it lacks a happy ending. Some others might not like it as well because the film calls out crap TV...and those who LIKE crap TV might be offended....though offending folks like that is hardly a problem.

Not living in the US, I know little of how the selection process goes for TV series and in which way this shapes up the yearly crop, but even so, I dare my imagination to go in all those places and the stories it tells me are not truly exciting. Moving on from Orange County, a nice comedy which is nothing more than that, director Jake Kasdan achieves a film that is - like the pilot it portrays - not so much a comedy in its essence, but a comedy out of necessity. The plot is uncomplicated, as it revolves around a writer, his pilot and all ensuing experiences. Often enough, it is themed as a clash between idealism and realism, without being very subtle about it. I don't see it as an "insider" movie so much as it is a movie about TV addiction and the standards this imposes, and while it doesn't go to the level of The Player, it still remains a thoroughly enjoyable watch. There isn't really much to say, except that it's always nice to see familiar faces again , especially if they're in as good of a shape as Sigourney Weaver or David Duchovny. While Weaver has been taking up roles that still seem to feed off some of that Alien nastiness everyone liked so much, Duchovny has been trying to shape up with small comedies and the sort - of late, his new series Californication has him exploring a more familiar runway. Ironically enough, the film works exactly because it has this star power behind it to compensate for the lack of edge the script "provides". As is well said, "Original scares me a little. You don't wanna be too original.". Give it a shot!

Great little indie comedy depicting just how difficult it is to make decent television. Being the medium that reaches the most people in the United States, it only makes sense that everything gets reduced to the lowest common denominator. David Duchovny plays a writer with a well-liked script that's going into the pilot process. His chief rival: his own producer, played by Sigourney Weaver, who thinks Duchovny's choice of lead actor is too subtle, and wonders aloud "What if the brother didn't commit suicide." Because, you know, "suicide is depressing to 82% of all people." Weaver's character, Lenny, is the film's greatest creation. After Anton Chigur in No Country for Old Men, Lenny is the scariest villain of 2007. The difference is, if you meet Anton Chigur, you're likely to get blown to bits, where if you meet Lenny, your brain is likely to get sanded down to a shiny stone. The funny thing is, though you're viewing Lenny from Duchovny's perspective and think of her as the villain, the truth is she's just a savvy businesswoman. Her logic seems insane, but in this business, it's entirely sound. My favorite observance: "She doesn't let her cuteness get in the way of her hotness." The film is hilarious, and well performed by the ensemble. I especially like Judy Greer, who plays Duchovny's manager. Now she's a an actress who doesn't let her cuteness get in the way of her hotness.

This movie is for those of us sorry schmucks who have worked our hearts & brains to the bone, only to be told by some soulless corporate suit that our creative efforts are not required. What, me bitter? "The TV Set" is a great comedy/drama about a writer who realizes his 1 shot at success requires him to sell out to mediocrity. This paradox leads to some great acidic fun. The movie gets its power from a great script as could only be conceived by a person (writer/director Jake Kasdan) who has seen the spectacle in real life. It builds momentum through brilliant acting, as could only be pulled off by actors who've lived the nightmare in real life. Presented with moments of riotous satire (stick around after the credits to see a scene from the network's golden egg, "Slut Wars"), the humor is spot-on with great deadpan deliveries all around. I don't usually harp on a film's casting, but in this case it was flawless, from the smallest roles (loved the wardrobe lady!) all the way up to Sigourney Weaver as the "soulless suit" who massacres the script, much to the applause of her corporate toadies. INTERESTING TRIVIA: Sigourney's character "Lenny" was originally written for a man. But due to late scheduling problems they gave it to Sigourney. She insisted that no changes be made to her lines, and even the male name "Lenny" was kept. The result is possibly the funniest clueless exec you've ever seen. Pay attention to her, as almost every one if her lines is classic, such as: "This is not just an opinion here! We have the research from other shows. Suicide is, like, depressing to 82% of all people." Omg I had to rewind that one and play it again to get the laughs out. I will warn you, though, I wouldn't call this "uproarious" the way the DVD box advertises (I'm sure some corporate suit came up with that marketing angle). No, like any good satire, its power is in subtlety. No wisecracking punchlines, no slapstick pratfalls, no fart gags. Well OK, 1 fart gag, but you'll agree it really punctuates the point. Jake Kasdan, himself a veteran of many ill-fated TV pilots, gives us a film that very few can claim to be: an honest & mercilessly uncompromising joyride til the end. It reminded me of the brilliant Christopher Guest satires of the entertainment industry: "Waiting for Guffman", "For Your Consideration", "Best in Show", and the king of them all: "This is Spinal Tap".

Ah, another example of everything that is wrong with Hollywood. Garbage script gets "star treatment" and the go-ahead from the big kahunas. Next it is on to the marketing machine. The result? Why, two thumbs up of course!!! Let's put it this way: I picked up the phone and made an appointment with my dentist while watching this movie. One thing just reminded me of the other I guess. Boring subject matter. Right up there with "Watching paint dry" and "Trading Spaces: They Hated It". Fake characters. Too many swear words. Some movies choose their one magic F bomb with care; this one fires them out like farts from a teenager. For David D. fans, save yourself an aneurism and fire up "House of D" again. Sigourney fans, you're on your own, I've never cared for her. Wait, what about "Working Girl"! Of course, there is a soccer game scene, but no fair asking for the final score. You'll just have to rush on over to Blockbuster to find out.

As the playwright George S. Kaufman used to say, "Satire closes on Saturday night," and I think this applies to this film. Very inside takes on the pilot process, but the characters are two dimensional. However, Justine Bateman was very good in a limited part and I liked David Duchovney's take on the typical television writer forced to make many compromises in order to survive. But in real life, there would have been a large staff of writers tooling the pilot, not just one hapless guy. Why he chooses to stay in television we never know. Characters used terms like "upfronts" without explaining what they meant (for the lay audience). Bottom line: a good DVD rental for a weekend.